Naruto: A Tale of Determination
by Vorgonaz
Summary: The Third has passed on. How much will a simple conversation about it with Jiraiya change Naruto's view of the Ninja World? How will this affect the Naruto Universe? Will anyone with the Determination of the Third appear again? Read and see!
1. Life and Death

**DISCLAIMER!  
I do not own Naruto, any other character or event from the Naruto manga. This disclaimer applies to this whole story. **

**I write this story for my entertainment and upload it for the entertainment of those who like to read it. I have no financial gains from this story whatsoever.**

**A FEW THOUGHTS CONCERNING THE STORY AND ITS AUTHOR**

-This is my first fanfic, but I have read quite a lot in the past few months!  
-About the pairings: I do not plan on making this a harem story, or pair characters with a huge age difference. Also, I want to deviate from most of the stories and not use the classic Naru-Hina pairing. Finally, there will be no yaoi pairings.  
-In this fic I plan to portray a Naruto that has moments of genius outside of battle, his happy-go-lucky, naive behaviour will be an exaggeration of his normal character and is an effort to be accepted/recognised much like his dream to become Hokage.  
-I find it hard to imagine that the Hokage, who wouldn't allow anyone to speak of Kyuubi would actually allow anyone to abuse Naruto mentally or physically, so here I will take a different approach.  
-Even though I have many ideas that I consider quite original, anyone who sees part of their work here would be welcome to contact me and point me the chapter where the idea is used. Of course I will give them credit.  
- Many of the non-canon jutsus in this story were inspired (or outright copied!) by VynosNeptune's 'Custom Elemental Ninjutsus', so credit belongs to him. Any jutsu that is my creation will be stated as such in the AN.

Let's get on with the story then!

**CHAPTER 1:Life and Death**

**T**he sound of heavy rain muffled the sobs coming from the village of Konoha. The epicenter of the sobs was coming from the heart and mind of the village, the Hokage tower. On top of the tall, circular building, many figures, clad in black, stood.  
They formed disciplined lines, their solemn looks turned towards a saddening sight: The pictures of their beloved leader and of their comrades, those who lost the battle with the Shinigami earlier, during the Sound and Sand Invasion.

Directly in front of the makeshift shrine, stood a twelve year old boy; his hair yellow and unkempt like the sun's rays; his eyes blue like the crystal-clear sky**. **While trying his best to hold tears back, Uzumaki Naruto, rookie genin of Konoha looked to his right to see a boy he considered his little brother crying in his teacher's embrace.

'_Konohamaru....Iruka-sensei...'_

Turning his gaze forward again, to look at his grandfather figure again, he desperately tried to remember every conversation he had with him, every time he had treated him to ramen, every piece of advice he had given him.  
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage was one of the few people Naruto could be himself around. As long as he could remember , the blond boy was always ignored by all the Konoha villagers he ever met while some adults even looked outright scared of him, rushing to get away from him when he looked at them. After some time, he tried being more friendly, smiling for little reason, laughing more often and wearing bright colour clothing to attract attention to himself in order to let everyone see how cheerful and nice he was. All of his tactics were met with little to no success, even pranking was of little use.

With the Hokage or 'The Old man' as Naruto preferred to call him, however , things were very different. Whenever the young blond saw him, he was always friendly and seemed to enjoy his company. Since he accepted him as he was, young Naruto was free to finally be a child around him, ' _it would be irrational for the strongest shinobi in the village to fear a child_', as he often thought.

' _Remember Naruto , our village is like a tree, each leaf, each of us, doing its part so that the tree will keep growing stronger.'  
_He would always say that with passion evident in his eyes and it was that look that Naruto had associated with the title of Hokage; an unwavering faith that could change Konoha for the better, the duty of the Fire Shadow.

He could now hear a grey haired man with rectangular glasses, whose age rivalled that of the former leader, give a speech about sacrifice and and how everyone should try to continue their lives in a way that said sacrifices would not be in vain.

As the man kept talking, Naruto drifted again into his thoughts, being almost oblivious to everyone around him. One thought occupied his mind; Why did the Hokage lose? Wasn't he the one fighting to protect Konoha, his home? Wasn't he the one with the right reason to fight?

He followed the rest of his generation's genins in line, a white rose in his hands, the last tribute to each leaf that had separated with the rest of the tree.

o---o

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--ONE HOUR LATER--

Naruto was sitting on top of Sarutobi's head at the Hokage Monument. The weather had improved drastically, were it not for the still watered streets, not a soul would be able to tell that it was raining merely an hour before. The blond was overlooking the village, people running about with building materials, repairing damaged buildings or beginning to build new ones to replace the ones that were destroyed during the fight between Jiraiya's toads and the invasion's snakes. The sight of the Ichiraku ramen stand being rebuilt brought a faint smile to his face.

He didn't have any time to observe anything else, as his temporary teacher before the final test of the Chuunin exams made his appearance beside him. Acknowledging his presence, Naruto turned his head slightly, and with the faint smile he retained from before, he spoke.

"Isn't the view from up here nice Ero-sennin? I think he would enjoy watching us from here."

" I am sure he will, he ,along with all the previous generations of Konoha shinobi, have entrusted their will to us after all.". The Gama Sennin's words and tone surprised the blond somewhat; this serious side of his sensei was something he rarely saw. He nodded and waited for his sensei to continue. After seeing his hesitation however, he decided to ask his questions from before.

While Naruto voiced all of the thoughts that confused him, Jiraiya watched him, considering the appropriate way to answer. When the blond finished, he waited a few moments before responding.

" Naruto, I know how much you loved Sarutobi-sensei, but there are some things that you must understand. He did what he did for us, he sacr-"

"I heard that many times already!", the boy yelled, unable to control his feelings anymore, "But why did he have to die? How can someone with so many lives depending on him lose? To a traitor of all things, a man who abandoned everyone he knew, why can someone like that be allowed to win?"

Jiraiya was stunned to see his informal apprentice have an outburst like this, but he finally understood what he meant , he finally knew what the blond wanted to know all along. As Naruto calmed down, Jiraiya spoke again, his eyes locked with his student.

"Power is the key. All shinobi need it, so they train daily , pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion. Most of them have a healthy reason for doing so, like protecting their country, village or loved ones. Some, however, want power for the sake of being powerful, they strive to prove themselves the strongest, revelling in killing those they consider worthy adversaries. Orochimaru is a prime example of that logic, while my sensei always followed the opposite path. As for the reason he won...". Jiraiya stopped for a moment yet again, trying to find the right words to sooth the boy that was giving him his full attention.

"Orochimaru and his kind do not hesitate to do anything to win. In his battle with sensei, my former teammate used a kinjutsu, a forbidden jutsu in other words, to make the first two Hokages fight for him, thus gaining the advantage, forcing sensei to use a lethal sealing technique to stop him....", he said blankly, as if reading out loud a menu from a restaurant, or a report from a D-rank mission.

As he watched Naruto's face shift rapidly from one emotion to another, he added.

"I would really like to tell you that those with the desire to protect can win against any opponent, but it is not so, Naruto. It takes a powerful person to defeat another powerful person, nothing can change that. The only thing that we can do is train day after day, with our emotions strengthening our resolve."

Naruto did not have the chance to talk to his sensei more, as an Anbu member appeared behind them, informing Jiraiya of the council's summons with a voice devoid of emotion. The blond recognised the mask, remembering the man as one of the Third's bodyguards and could not help but wonder whether he felt anything for Konoha's sudden loss, since his attitude revealed nothing but pure, cold professionalism.

_" Is this what it means to be an elite ninja? To hide every emotion behind a mask or to actually feel nothing? Is this the perfect tool that Zabuza and Haku meant?_

NO , this was not right. One who has no feelings cannot fight with his life on the line, simply because he has nothing to keep fighting for. Loyalty and duty alone were not enough. To the young blond, every villager in his village was his reason to fight, no matter they treated him, with a smile or a frown, he would _protect _and help them, and for that desire he would become strong.

With yet another goal to accompany his dream of becoming Hokage, Naruto set out from the Hokages' Monument down to the town to help with the repairs of the village, a certain ramen bar more specifically. He reached the place where the stand once stood proud only to see a middle aged man with his daughter apparently still cleaning up the rubble that was once their shop.

"Hey old man, good to see you're safe, you too Ayame-neechan!", the blond said with a bit of extra volume to make his presence known. The grey haired old man grinned, recognising his best customer, but kept his focus on the task at hand while the young girl moved next to the blond to ruffle his hair, but was discouraged when she noticed the sad look on his face. He gave her a small smile and formed his favourite hand seal Immediately, ten more blonds appeared.

"Let's get this place fixed up!", all the blonds shouted and began repositioning the piles of wood and stone in the area, courtesy of the many exploding tags used in the invasion. Their spirits raised by the arrival of help, Ayame and Teuchi continued their work , determined to rebuild Ichiraku's as soon as possible.

o---o

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o---o

As the sun began setting, three figures stood in front of a clear piece of land (Sacred Ground in Naruto's case), two of them sweating whereas one was not even winded. All of them however, were proud of their progress.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, we'd still be only halfway done if it wasn't for you.", Ayame said happily with a smile adorning her face, as Teuchi scratched the back of his head.  
"You young ninjas never cease to amaze me, Naruto. I guess I will treat you to an extra special dish when we get the place up and running again."

They did not know, however, just how much their words meant to the blond. To the young ninja, being able to help a fellow villager was rewarding by itself, but to help two of his most precious people felt like the most natural thing to do and made him feel content. All the thanking part to him was all but necessary but he couldn't resist his instincts so he eagerly responded.

"Well, old man, I would say that this much help merits at least a month's ramen free of charge...."

"You do realise that a regular person's month's ramen is what you eat in two sessions, right?" Teuchi couldn't control himself, he just had to point it out as a vein popped near his left temple.

"Ah calm down dad, I'm sure Naruto will help tomorrow too, so it will be a meal for a day's work, right? **Won't you Naruto-kun?**" she added as she cast a very convincing glare at the blond, who really appreciated her valid argument and agreed,but not before gulping quite audibly. Since they had already called it a day, he waved them goodbye and made way to his apartment, a faint smile on his face still.

With every step he took, the cheery atmosphere of the Ichiraku gave way to the gloomy one of the mourning Konoha. Somehow, Ichiraku's always had that effect on him. Whenever he was there, the world just seemed like a better place, somehow happier, more colourful At first, of course, he believed that his favourite food being served there had more than something to do with it. Now though, he knew what it was and always had been. It was a place he could be normal; a place where the civilians were not avoiding him, a young girl and her father were his safe haven.  
_'And they will continue to be if I can help it!'_

His train of thought was lost when his apartment complex came to view. After a quick search in his pockets, he unlocked the door to his house. The usual sight greeted him; clothes thrown aimlessly here and there, empty ramen cups loitering the floor with chopsticks next to them and a certain carton of milk that Naruto was sure had been there before he made genin....months ago. Chuckling a bit, the blond wandered if it would still be there to see him make Chuunin, which actually was more likely than him cleaning the place up.

Sighing, he looked outside through the window next to his bed, not noticing a tall figure watching him from a nearby roof.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Jiraiya stood there, his eyes on the blond but in his mind rang parts of the meeting he had with the two most influential political figures of the village's council.

_"We have decided that you should take up the mantle, Jiraiya", Homura said with Koharu nodding slowly._

_Jiraiya stood there, his expression not changing, to the outside it seemed like he was considering it, but inwardly he was thinking of a way out of this that would satisfy the two elders._

_"I am not a leader, the village would be better off with someone else..."_

_" We have spoken with the Damyo , Jiraiya, and you have his support and believe me when I say that there is no one in the village as qualified as you", Koharu spoke a bit hesitantly, as it was common knowledge to all three of them that she disliked him since his genin days, mostly because of his insulting hobby._

_" There may not be anyone in the village, but what about outside the village?", he smirked as the look on the elders' eyes proved their understanding." Then I will be seeing a familiar face from the past soon then?", the Gama Sennin enquired, even though he already knew the answer as Homura and Koharu nodded. He turned away and began walking._

_"I almost forgot; I am taking one of your genins along for the trip, you don't mind , do you?", he said without turning to look at them. Hearing no complains, he jumped to the rooftop and sped up._

Looking at the boy's sleeping form, Jiraiya sighed loudly. Even though Naruto looked like his father a lot, his behaviour was nothing like him. Unlike Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki was just that; an Uzumaki in spirit. While his determination and devotion to his training was admirable, he was far from the genius his father was. Nevertheless, Jiraiya would train him as part of his duty both as his godfather and the sensei of his father, although he really doubted he would do the same if he wasn't. The rumours regarding an organisation that was gathering the bijuus didn't help any.

The Toad Sage just hoped that their little excursion would take his mind off the recent events and bring back his usual self, which, although annoying at times, was actually a refreshing presence most of the time, getting excited at everything new thing he encountered, be it a jutsu, a person or a place. He smirked thinking of the boy's reaction to his 'research' and novels once more before leaving the boy to sleep as he tried locating houses with suspicious movements inside.

_'Night time research... it's been a while since I last performed one, but its effects are vastly superior to the usual ones..... ahhh what do I do for my novels' and fans' sake...'_ , he thought as he tried to stifle a giggle. Moments later, his keen senses spotted the much sought after sight and a lecherous smile appeared on his face.

o---o

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* * *

A small pot full of water was boiling under the watchful eye of an impatient blond boy, who unconsciously was squeezing a cup of instant ramen in his hands. His supplies were almost gone since lately, with his training taking up most of his time he barely had time to shop for essentials. He silently congratulated himself for yesterday's spontaneous decision to help the Ichirakus' out.

_'I have to complete the stand today no matter what_!', he thought full of determination as he squeezed his last cup of instant ramen a bit more.  
Twenty minutes later he was in front of Teuchi's house, knocking on the door to wake them up to get to work, his shouts not sparing their neighbours' sleep.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-SEVERAL HOURS LATER-

"And...... it's done!", exclaimed an excited Teuchi, placing the last stool in place in front of the counter, as about thirty copies of a boy cheered on and on.... and on, his antics making Ayame giggle. He soon dispelled his clones as he chose one of the stools and sat down. It was noon now, they had been working for five or six hours, he non stop while his co-workers took several breaks to catch their breath in order to keep up with him and his blond repair crew. His rest was cut short, however, as he felt a hand on top his shoulder and the familiar voice mumbling a cheerful greeting alerted him to his perverted teacher.

"Somehow I knew I would find you here gaki". Jiraiya took a seat next to Naruto.

"Hello to you too, Ero-Sennin, you said you were looking for me, so what is it?". Naruto turned his head to face the legendary ninja.

"I am going on trip to find an old friend of mine and I decided to take you along, and I'll even teach you a jutsu or two on the way. Meet me at the west gate in an hour. Pack light."

A big smile formed on the blonde's face as he nodded. " So what was that meeting about?". Jiraiya had already formed the seal for a shunshin, but Naruto knew he heard him, as he winced slightly before disappearing in a whirl of leaves. The young boy sighed as he stood up and made his way outside as he heard Ayame's voice calling out to him.

"Thanks again Naruto-kun. I kind of overheard the discussion with Jiraiya-sama, so... have a good trip and get stronger!", the young girl said with a smile adorning her face.

"Sure thing Ayame-neesan!".As he kept going , Ayame shouted with a bit more volume. " And don't forget to come by when you return! We didn't treat you for your help yet!"

He smiled fondly and a warm feeling overshadowed all others as he waved his hand and continued his walk, many eyes turning to face him, only to quickly look away in fear. He kept going through it all, his head high.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-ABOUT AN HOUR LATER-

A single guard was stationed near the west entrance, lazily looking over the road, his hand supporting his head, his eyes only half open. He had noticed a boy pacing back and forth opposite his small was easy recognising the boy that hosted the Kyuubi. He shivered at the memory of the fox's killing intent all those years ago as he subconsciously moved a bit further away from where the boy was. He knew and greatly respected the Fourth Hokage, but even though their leader was as strong as they came, he couldn't help but think that mass of evil could escape at any moment and continue what it had started a decade ago. He, just as many others, were not really surprised by the boy's victory over the Sand beast during the invasion, after all only a demon can stop a demon......right? Still, he was not blind enough not to see that they were saved from the beast by it...no, him.

His thoughts were interrupted by a swirl of leaves revealing a tall white haired man standing next to the boy, who apparently got scolded for something by the blond, which the guard deduced was Jiraiya-sama being late. Ignoring the blond's loud comments about the reason he wasn't there on time, the Toad Sage walked out of the west gate as the blond run after him still shouting, determined to get a reaction from him.

The young adult shifted his gaze back the road in front of him, keeping an eye out for any suspicious characters( literary, as his other one was closed, succumbing to boredom). His break was short lived, however as he suddenly felt a presence behind him yelling at him at the top of his lungs. Any normal ninja would be surprised and would have turned to face his opponent.

He was not a normal ninja.

"Dammit Shikamoto! How many times do I have to tell you not to daydream while on duty!", his superior officer shouted yet again, not expecting an answer.

The lazy guard just sighed and muttered a single phrase;" How tiresome...." as he half-heartily opened his other eye to look more closely.

"Lazy Naras...", the officer mumbled as he turned around to see if any of the other guards was slacking off.

o---o

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* * *

Naruto was rubbing his throbbing head, proof that he had finally gotten through to his perverted teacher. _' Thank Kami that Ero Sennin's punches are far less powerful than Sakura-chan's, her anger-powered punches are lethal_!'  
Thinking about his pink haired teammate and crush, a realisation dawned upon him. Ever since he passed the second part of the Chuunin exams, he had been continuously training and knew that Sasuke had done the same, Gaara would vouch for that. Now he came to see that he had not spent any time with his team for over a month, even after the invasion the only news he heard about them was Kakashi's reassuring words that they were fine. The blond sincerely hoped his peers were better, because the last time he saw them, one was being crushed between sand and a tree and the other was half covered with some strange black spots...

"Hey Ero-Sennin, when are we gonna return home? And why are you in such a rush anyway? I mean the whole village is still recovering from a foreign shinobi invasion and you run off to find someone you haven't bothered to look for in years and-". A loud bang was heard followed by the blond protesting about his sensei's punches while rubbing the other side of his head.

" Well, did you stop to think that maybe meeting this person is more important than rebuilding the village? After all the Great Jiraiya Sama cannot stay in one place for long, the whole world must benefit from his sublime and magnificent presence!". The blond only sighed at his sensei's antics and kept quiet.

" In any case, the person we are looking for is a former teammate of mine and more importantly, to you at least, she is possibly the best medic-nin alive right now, and I happen to know at least one friend of yours that could really use her help.", the tall man said as images of a green spandex-wearing boy flashed through Naruto's mind. " She is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, her name is Senju Tsunade, the third member of the Sannin, known all over the shinobi world as _The Legendary Sucker_.", he stressed his last words. _' I just love sexual innuendos_', Jiraiya thought while successfully stifling a giggle.

Naruto just shrugged, as long as she could help one of his friends he couldn't care less about some nickname of hers, even though the way that his teacher mentioned it did worry him; he suspected that his pervert ways were the reason they had not talked in years, he hoped it wouldn't affect their chances of success a lot.

o---o

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* * *

-KONOHA VILLAGE, MIDNIGHT

The full moon was dominating the night sky, no clouds to hide it from the face of the earth. Some would say it was beautiful, others that it was romantic.

One boy did not share their feelings in the least. Uchiha Sasuke hated the Moon, his hate only multiplied when it was a full moon. But he hated himself more because he could not bring himself to look at it, not since that night. Just the thought of it was enough to keep him awake until it disappeared, letting the Sun take over again. This time though something urged him to go on a walk, and he decided to give it to that feeling.

The raven haired boy walked slowly in the empty street, often turning his head to the side to see the trees around him. This path went through a park and next to one of the biggest ponds in the village, and was one of his favourite routes due to that same pond.

As he emerged out of the park , he looked over at the water's surface as memories of the past resurfaced...

_"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!" . A large fireball was formed over the water's surface, instantly boiling part of it and causing steam to fly at every direction. After a few seconds, the ball of fire began to shrink , until it finally gave out, the only sign of it ever existing was the newly formed steam cloud._

_Uchiha Sasuke, the seven year-old son of Uchiha Fugaku, was panting; that jutsu had taken most of his chakra to execute, but it was worth it. A smile formed on his face when he imagined the praise he would get from his father for his progress.  
Tilting his head to face his father, he saw him walking towards the house, his back turned on him. He clenched his right fist, disappointment and sadness evident in his eyes. Then he suddenly heard it. It was faint, not stronger than a whisper, but he heard it._

_"Congratulations Sasuke. You have now come of age in the Uchiha clan. As expected, you truly are my son."_

_Those words were enough to make him more proud of himself than he had ever been. He had been acknowledged by his father; he finally felt like a true member of his family._

Turning to face the road along the edge of the lake, he noticed a group of figures which, judging by their height, belonged to adults. After a more careful observation, he saw that there were five figures, three on one side and two on the other. Not making out their faces, he activated his two tomoe Sharingan to see more clearly. As soon as he did, his feet froze in place; his breathing became irregular short pants.

Anger and fear took over him.

His Sensei was standing next to a bearded Jounin and a black haired woman in a red and white bandage dress. On the other side stood his fated opponent; the man who took it all away; the man he once loved and now hated with the same intensity. He did not even spare a glance at his tall blue skinned companion.

o---o

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* * *

-A SHORT DISTANCE AHEAD-

Kakashi knew he was at a disadvantage. Looking at the strange shark-like man who was revealed to be a former Swordsman of the Mist, Hoshigaki Kisame and none other than their own Uchiha Itachi, the Jounin-sensei understood that they only could slow their opponents down until reinforcements came.

" We are here for the Fourth's Legacy." Itachi said in a cold, emotionless tone.

All three Jounin understood what that phrase meant. One however , interpreted it in a different way than the other two.

_'Naruto?' _

_'The Kyuubi kid?'_

" Why?", Asuma Sarutobi voiced their common question.

"Why do you pretend to care?" Itachi answered, surprising them. Wanting to take the initiative, Yuuhi Kurenai began going through hand seals, Kisame looked at his companion, who only nodded. A large grin formed on his face; things were getting interesting.

As soon as she stopped, Kurenai whispered the name of her technique and a large tree appeared behind Kisame, trapping him inside its trunk. Wasting no time, she grabbed a kunai and sped up for the kill. Kisame's grin only widened as she came closer. As she aimed her weapon at his jugular, the genjutsu mistress sensed a chakra pulse releasing her target from the technique. The pulse itself did not surprise her, as it was a common method of neutralising a genjutsu, but its origin. Itachi had yet to make a move against them and Kisame couldn't even if would. That only left....

A blunt pain snapped her out of her thoughts, the tip of Kisame's sword pushing her shoulder down with tremendous force.

o---o

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* * *

Kakashi's Sharingan was spinning wildly as if realising the enemy's calibre. The white haired Jounin engaged in a Taijutsu match against his red eyed opponent, with the cloaked man easily dodging most of his attacks and blocking the others, still refusing to fight back.

He looked at the masked Jounin with a cold stare again. " It is pointless to fight us."

Meanwhile....

Asuma was in front of Kurenai, both trench knives surrounded by a blue light Kurenai knew to be wind chakra. He was barely able to stop the sword before it hit the woman with full force.

'_What is this? The wind chakra is weakening rapidly! I can't stop him!'_

Kisame only smirked. If they thought that the attack had been stopped, they were in for a big surprise. He tightened his grip around his sword and pulled with all his strength , waiting for the blood to flow.

It did.

Kurenai's shoulder was almost ripped apart. She tried to resist screaming at the pain , but it felt as if her skin had been hooked into the blade. She was pulled forward and hit on Asuma's back then on the ground. Asuma noticed that by now his blades were completely drained out of chakra, as Kisame sped forward , forming a fist and hitting the bearded Jounin in the gut before he could register his movements, sending him over the pond.

"UCHIHA ITACHI!", a voice echoed in the night, followed by a small flash of light in the distance. The Konoha nins recognised it as one of the genins in the Chuunin exam... Uchiha Sasuke.

Itachi showed no signs of acknowledging his brother's presence, but took a shot at Kakashi who was momentarily distracted by his student's arrival and was forced to disengage and stood next to his injured comrade-in-arms. They both searched for Kurenai only to see her on her knees , panting heavily and clutching her wound in a poor attempt to stop her bleeding; she was in no condition to fight.

"ITACHI!", the raven haired boy once again yelled," you will pay for what you did, I swear it!"

The older Uchiha looked at Kisame, who nodded after sighing in defeat. They both disappeared from the road, leaving Sasuke, lightning still crackling violently in his hand, with the injured Kurenai.

" Sasuke, take Kurenai and get out of here!", Kakashi shouted, hoping that the boy would listen to him. Deep inside him though, he knew he wouldn't, nobody would, not after going through what Sasuke had.

True enough, Sasuke was by now oblivious to everything around him besides his brother. As he saw him standing in front of his sensei and that other Jounin, he released his jutsu and ran with all the power he could muster, and jumped off to meet them in the middle of the small lake.

He had not been taught how to walk on the water yet; his Sharingan though made it clear that they used an amount of chakra below their feet with enough control to stand as if the water surface was actual ground. He pumped chakra to his feet, preparing to land.

His first step was, however, unsuccessful, making him sink up to his knee before jumping up and trying again, now one step closer to his brother.

Itachi's eyes were still locked with Kakashi as his Sharingan's tomoe changed into a three edged pin-wheel.

" Asuma, close your eyes, if you see his Sharingan he will cast a genjutsu on you", Kakashi said hastily before closing right eye, leaving only his Sharingan eye open.

Slowly, Itachi formed a hand seal and muttered a single word: " Tsukuyomi...."

A second later, Kakashi fell on the water, unconscious.

"NO!", Sasuke yelled , trying his best to reach them, still adjusting to water walking. '_I will not let you take him too!'_.

" Foolish little brother,", Itachi began, " you cannot even reach me here and you think you can kill me....".Sasuke gritted his teeth; he was now five steps away from him and began going through the hand seals for his strongest jutsu. Five steps

"What a disgrace, maybe I was wrong about your potential, or maybe..." he trailed off as Sasuke finished and lightning was again in his grasp. Three steps.

"... You don't hate me enough.", Sasuke's concentration was broken by the amount of anger he had gathered up and the effort to get there; His feet began sinking again; the water's surface was now up to his waist. One step.

"Hmph.... as expected from the son of that weakling...."

'_Not like this! Not like this!' _. Sasuke's mind was screaming so he did the only thing he could do now.

"CHIDORI!", he said, pumping all his spare chakra to his feet and launching himself with all his power, his Chidori aimed at his brother's head.

Itachi pivoted his body, Sasuke's hand passing inches from his face. As the younger Uchiha kept going forward, Itachi's face finally shifted to his direction, his eyes meeting Sasuke's. Immediately, Itachi vanished from his brother's sight. Sasuke looked on to see where he would land.

As he fell down , he saw the Moon's reflection on the lake's surface. It's colour began to change rapidly from white to red, as if it had been stabbed and was bleeding.

"Tsukuyomi...." he heard a whisper, as he fell into the dark waters, his eyes closed, knowing what was to come.


	2. A Twist of Fate

**DISCLAIMER**

**I do not own the anime or manga Naruto in any way, shape or form!**

A thank you to everyone that added this story to his favourites or alerts list and especially redxdragon and deltabeta26, who took the time to review the last chapter.

redxdragon: I think that a Naruto fanfic with a non- perverted Jiraiya is too original for me! As for the pairings, i agree with you, i wasn't going to have Naruto form a relationship just yet. And yes, the second chapter was more about resolving Itachi's visit to Konoha and his encounter with Sasuke than actually introducing my version of the story. This is done (in part) with this chapter, and mostly with the next release(whcih will most likely be a double post or one 6k+words chapter and will be released tomorrow 18/4/2010!.)

deltabeta26: Thanks for reviewing again. I agree that the fight last chapter was not something special, but i tried my best without giving the impression that the three Jounins actually posed any threat to Itachi and Kisame. As for the confusing part of Itachi's encounter, i intended for the explanations to take place in this chapter to preserve any dramatic effect the fight's ending might have had!

**Chapter 2: A Twist of Fate.**

" I am Saru, I am here to debrief you Sarutobi-san", an Anbu member full clad in his battle armor said.

The bearded Jounin would have laughed at the irony had it been any other situation. Being debriefed while still in hospital, however, showed how serious the incident was. He just nodded instead.

" First off, how and where did you spot them?"

" Kakashi, Kurenai and me had arranged to meet in a bar near the east entrance last night. With all the resent events we were not given the chance to discuss about our genin teams, so this was the perfect opportunity to do so. At some point Kakashi noticed two suspicious figures enter the village. Recognising one of them, he sent a call for reinforcements, while we tracked their movements, since we were the only jounin level ninjas in the immediate vicinity. They noticed our presence, as they led us to the now abandoned Uchiha Compound, away from any possible interference. Then, one of them, Uchiha Itachi, turned and looked straight at us. We confronted them... you know the outcome."

" Yes, i do. Tell me, what happened after the fight? Why did they not finish you off?", said Saru again in a characteristic Anbu tone.  
While offended by his implication, Asuma tried to think back, every detail mattered. " I heard Itachi say that they got what they needed. He said that their hunt would have to wait to be done along with the others. When his companion voiced his questions, he only added that the Kyuubi was too well protected.... They turned to leave as i got Kakashi and his genin out of the water. When i looked back , they were gone."

The Anbu, scribbling something on scroll, only nodded.

" Thank you for your cooperation, Sarutobi-san. I wish you a quick recovery." he said as he shunshined out of the room.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-TWO HOURS LATER, UTATANE KOHARU'S RESIDENCE-

Three elderly figures sat in front of a small round table. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura sat opposite a man about their age, whose chin had a cross shaped scar. The right side of his face was bandaged and his right arm was entirely covered by his kimono.

Without speaking a word, Koharu handed of a file to the man. If he showed any surprise at the contents of the file, he hid it very successfully. After finishing, he turned to look at the other elders waiting for their comments.

" You don't seem surprised Danzo. Were you expecting a visit from him?", Koharu continued, wanting to assess the situation.

" Are you implying that i have any sort of communication with traitors of the country, Koharu-dono?", Danzo sarcastically said.

" I have taken every mesure to ensure that nobody is within hearing range of us , _Danzo-dono_, you may continue freely."

" He and his companion left the village shortly after the incident. It is certain that they were looking for ' the Yondaime's Legacy', in their exact words." Homura added.

" The boy is safe for now, he is with Jiraiya, but what happens when he returns? If he stays in the village we are all in immediate danger of being infiltrated by Akatsuki, and if he leaves they may capture and use it for their purposes, which we all agree are not in our best interest." the elder woman stated plainly.

" It must stay inside Konoha at all costs, we cannot afford it to be taken and used against us", Danzo was now taking the initiative.

" Are you saying we can risk Akatsuki coming here again? This time we had no casualties thanks to Itachi, but what if someone else is sent here next time?" Homura retorted, " We may not be able to stop him. I believe that him going on missions with someone of our trust is our best option, not only will the village be safer but also it will give us more time to think on how to counter them."

"......They won't come after the village. Itachi made a deal with them when the 'incident' happened."

" I never expected you to believe such things Danzo, do you really think that they will honor their agreement? They could be attacking any moment for all we know. I stand with Homura on this one. Besides, Itachi mentioned Kyuubi being hunted along with the others... If they succeed there will be no way to stop them."

It was Homura's time to intervene: "We are in no condition to engage in a military skirmish with a no-name organisation of a handful of members Koharu... I suggest we inform the other villages of Akatsuki's intention's and leave it at that for the time being. Do we have an agreement?"

The other two elders nodded.

After a minute Danzo broke the silence. " I see there is nothing more to discuss then, so i will take my leave. Koharu-dono, Homura-dono" he said as he made a slight bow and left them to their musings.

As he was nearing the door, Homura spoke. " Even roots will turn green if exposed to sunlight for enough time Danzo-dono. Versatility is one of the many advantages a ninja has, and being single minded only inhibits it."

Showing no sign of acknowledging his words, Danzo made his way out of the building and into a dimly lit path.

o---o

o---o

o---o

* * *

Sarutobi Asuma stood near a window in the Konoha Hospital, searching for his cigarettes every few minutes before reminding himself that the doctors had confiscated them. He sighed, as out of all the times he needed a smoke this one was probably on the top of the list. The reason for that was resting on a bed next to him.

Yuuhi Kurenai's eyes slowly opened, and with them , she felt a sharp pain tearing her shoulder. Turning her head to realise where she was, the sight of the bearded jounin greeted her. Realising that she was in hospital, she relaxed.

" How are you Asuma? I see you are up and standing already."

"Hehe, i guess the swordsman spared me eh?" he answered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, " Well, the doctor said that i got a couple of broken ribs, he said i was lucky my lungs weren't punctured."

" Ah, don't worry, your smoke will help with that..", she said with no malice. The red haired woman cared for her fellow Jounin enough to be honest with him.

In an effort to change the subject, Asuma continued.

" Kakashi and the genin are stable, but have not woken up yet. Kurenai... do you think it's possible to procure information during a genjutsu?"

A frown formed on her face; she was a genjutsu user, which meant being able to manipulate a target's senses. She could make him see, feel, hear, smell and even... taste anything she wanted. Kurenai was sure she could make a genin or chuunin feel uncomfortable enough to tell her all she wanted to know... but for the Uchiha to be able to make a Jounin of Kakashi's caliber to give up information, concerning his own genin no less, his technique was in a league of its own.

" It is possible using two different methods... If the genjutsu user knows the target, he can recreate events to mentally break him through emotional pain, or... he can cause immense physical pain by manipulating the nerve signals."

"...." Asuma was speechless. He was fairly sure that Itachi did not know Kakashi that well, so that only left one option.

o---o

o---o

o---o

* * *

"Rasengan!"

That's the only kind of warning the passerbys received before a man came spinning down one of the many stands, breaking everything on it.

" Heh, i didn't even have to properly power it up." , said mockingly a tall white white haired man who now emerged from the entrance of a hostess club, followed by a short blond haired boy. Said boy was now trying to contain his excitement at the prospect of being taught that jutsu. '_Which was developed by the Fourth!'_ he kept repeating to himself.

Seeing his obvious excitement, Jiraiya decided to put that determination of his to the test. In all honesty, he was interested in seeing if the boy could master it, it took a genius like his student three years to develop and the sage himself needed a lot of practice to get it down correctly.

" Let's get going gaki, you'll need lots of practice if you want to learn the jutsu, you might as well start now." Naruto only nodded, excited beyond words, understanding that the Rasengan would be a milestone in his ninja career and it could maybe rival that lightning jutsu Sasuke knew.

As they walked along the road, many eyes were set on them. All of them looked in fear at a ninjas capabilities and knew that the white haired man was more than a normal shinobi. One pair of eyes looked amused by the Toad Sage's show, not noticing the boy that stood next to him until later. As soon as he did, his eyes grew wide at the realisation of that boy's identity.

o---o

o---o

o---o

* * *

- SOME DAYS LATER-

Naruto was on the ground, breathing heavily, exhausted from chakra overuse. According to his perverted teacher, mastering the Rasengan was a three stage process, focusing on different aspects of the jutsu: Rotation, Power and the combination of a balanced amount of the two while controlling its shape.

He had already passed the first stage, its practical equivalent was being able to pop a balloon full of water using chakra. The boy found that using his other hand to force chakra into the balloon from different directions did the trick. Popping a rubber ball, however, thus completing the second stage that focused on power, was a different story altogether. His sensei even gave him a tip, offering to paint a tomoe-shaped dot on his palm to help focus his chakra in one spot. The blond really wanted his teacher to be next to him every step of the way, deep down inside him though, he knew that he had to do this alone.

Suddenly, the clearing that he was in was invaded by strange deep voice.

" Try the finest ramen in the continent! The famous travelling chef Jin is here!", as Naruto's head snapped at the word ramen and immediately stood up, rejuvenated, to see a man in his mid to late thirties looking at him. After a closer inspection, the blond three things about him: his short brown hair, his small green eyes and the fact that he was missing his left leg all the way to the waist and was being supported by a makeshift wooden crutch supporting his left side.

" Hey there boy! Are you interested in eating? My ramen is the best there is!", the man proudly said, while the boy eyed him with confusion. " We are way out of the road here. Are you lost or something Nii-san?"

Taken aback by the answer, he quickly added." I tell you what. I'll let you try my speciality for free in exchange for directions to the city. How does that sound?"

He did not need to say anything more, as the blond had already nodded and was waiting to get his ramen. Sighing in what seemed as relief, the tall man removed his backpack from his back and started searching for his ingredients. Meanwhile, he began talking to the blond.

" That headband of yours... you're a ninja from Konoha, aren't you? I assume you are training now, eh?"

The blond nodded enthusiastically. The older man only smirked in response. By now he had finished finding his ingredients, so he turned to the blond.

" Ok then, i have everything here....", a small frown formed on his face, " it seems i don't have enough wood to keep the fire going long enough. Would you be so kind as to get some small branches from that tree behind you? The small ones halfway up. I would do it but you see...". Understanding what he meant, Naruto walked up to the tree and inwardly smiled. ' _Time to show off a bit!'_

Pumping chakra to his feet, he ran up the tree, making ten vertical steps along the trunk. Snapping a few pieces of wood, he jumped back down and dropped them together with the rest of them.

_"_Good, good, that will do.", he picked up a small pot. " take some water from the small lake there. Not from the shore, unless you prefer your ramen with extra dirt!". Naruto winced at his tone, but took the pot nonetheless and walked over at the lake. Once again pumping chakra to his feet, he walked to the middle of the lake and filled the pot with water.

" Excellent! Now at that's left is lighting the fire! Will you do the Honors?". Noticing the boys quizzical look, he added: " You know, one of those ninja tricks of yours to make fire."

" I.. i don't know how to do that...", he said rubbing the back of his head, an awkward smile on his face.

" Oh, i see, you prefer using water, huh? Of course, you seem like the type to do that! I have seen many like you in my travels!", the strange chef proudly stated, making the boy more uncomfortable.

" Heh , wrong again... I actually have not learned anything like that yet...". Seeing the disappointed look, Naruto quickly added" BUT i can do this!". He formed a cross shaped handseal and several copies of him poofed into existence.

" Wow, nice trick! And they are solid no less! Amazing!"

" Hehe , i can summon toads too, you know!"

This was a weird experience for Naruto. Most of the older people he met were biased towards him, so his excitement to meet one that wasn't and was interested in his abilities to boot was a too rare opportunity to pass up. It felt liberating to be given a chance to be yourself around someone, even a stranger you just met.

A fond smile appeared on the cook's face when the toads were mentioned, but it went unnoticed by the blond, as the smell of fresh ramen was mesmerizing to him. As soon as he was given his bowl or ramen,he started eating, reveling in the taste of his favourite food. " This stuff is almost as good as Ichiraku's !". It took him mere minutes to finish his meal.

Now, with a full stomach and rested, he began to inspect the man further, and his curiosity taking the better of him, he asked. " What happened to your leg Jin-san?"

Jin's face darkened momentarily, but was replaced with a smile afterwards. " I was injured during the last shinobi war, gaki..."

" You were a ninja?" , the boy's eyes widened in surprise. The older man's face turned serious again.

" Why , does it make a difference? Can a ninja's weapons or techniques tell the difference between a civilian and an enemy shinobi? Child, in times of war the ones suffering the most are those who cannot protect themselves."

He placed his backpack on his back again and walked away. Naruto looked at him with a detached expression; he had heard about the last shinobi war and all those that lost their lives then, but it always felt such a distant possibility, like something that couldn't happen to anyone he personally knew. The Third's face flashed before his eyes as he looked at the man leaving, his T-shaped crutch supporting him. He couldn't help but imagine one of his friends like that. He tightened his grip around the bowl he was still holding. ' _No, i promised i would not let anything happen to them. I will protect them no matter what; Or else i am not worthy of being Hokage!'. _Standing up, he took a rubber ball out of his pocket and got in stance again, eyes full of determination, ready to complete the exercise.

o---o

o---o

o---o

* * *

- A FEW MINUTES LATER-

Jiraiya was walking at a leisurely pace, on his way to meet his apprentice and see his progress. Knowing the blond lacked anyone's affections for years, he bought an ice-cream with two wooden sticks, one on each side, meant to be divided in half and be shared. The look on the boy's face when he noticed that gesture between a man and his child earlier in town tore the Toad Sage's heart apart. Being raised by his caring parents, Jiraiya could not fathom what growing up alone must have been for the blond, and could not imagine that such simple signs of affection could mean so much to him.

During their trip, as he spent more time with Naruto, he came to understand him on a different level; his joy to be able to help by fighting a hostile jinchuuriki, his sadness about the Third's passing betraying his love for him and most of all his attitude to never give up which shaped his life were really rubbing off on the Sage. He had grown fond of the blond, even admiring him at times for turning out the way he did and of course he could not help but feel proud seeing him progress in the mastery of the Rasengan so quickly.

He was so focused on his thoughts that he did not even notice a figure about as tall as him passing by, heading the opposite direction.

" An interesting apprentice you have there."

Jiraiya was shocked to hear him; his voice though betrayed no emotion, " I truly think so..."

" From a brief meeting i had with him, i noticed he has already learned tree climbing and water walking and although completely lacking knowledge of any elemental ninjutsu, the amount of kage bunshins he is able to create is amazing for his age.... Heh, he even told me he could summon toads.... Would i be right to presume he is still a rookie genin?"

"Yes, i wouldn't underestimate him though; i am sure that you have heard about the Sand's invasion..." Jiraiya trailed off.

" I did... i noticed you are teaching him the Rasengan now... It brings back memories doesn't it? He looks just like him.", the younger man laughed, though a touch of sadness was evident in his voice.

" I am sure he will master it sooner than both me and Minato." Jiraiya stated with confidence. Moving forward again, he said: " Take care for now, i need to check up on my newest apprentice... Besides , i have a feeling that i will be seeing you again soon.."

" Goodbye for now, then....Sensei. "

After a couple of steps, Jiraiya heard a loud bang coming from Naruto's temporary training grounds. " That kid might surpass us after all...", he thought, a grin on his face.

o---o

o---o

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Thank you for reading the second chapter of Naruto: A Tale of Determination. I want to say a few things regarding the OC i introduced.

The reason for his creation is mostly because i think Naruto lacked a character portraying the other side of war. I always found it annoying that the ninjas in the village were ALL unharmed, even after twenty years of service( Excluding decorative Kakashi/Danzo like scars), especially the elders, whose role is purely administrative. I understand that Kishi's manga does that because its audience is primarily teens ( Rock Lee is the closest case seen in the manga, being unable to use chakra), but here i thought it served Naruto's development best, because let's face it, seeing someone like that is a constant reminder, unlike the death of a character.

Moving on to his abilities: I cannot stress this enough: He will not be godlike in any way, none of the characters in this story will be. I plan to reveal his story gradually and hope that you will enjoy the way it unfolds. And to those that fear that he will take up too much time from the canon characters i inform you that this will not be the case.

I was searching up for a name, when Jin came to my mind, i knew in Japanese the word Jin is written with the Kanji for 'humanity' among others. In a way, it seems fitting, seeing that humanity/humans are by nature imperfect/incomplete. Hope you like it!

Anyway, let me know how you liked the oc's introduction!

Next chapter :The Legendary Sucker makes her appearance and the first part of the Sannin fight!


	3. The Third of the Three

**DISCLAIMER**

**I do not own the anime or manga Naruto in any way, shape or form!**

**A Few Words**

It seems for the life of me i can't stick to the Tuesday schedule; It feels like holding out on everyone that likes this story... Anyway, i hope you enjoy this chapter!

A big thanks to all that have read the story so far, a bigger one to those that put this story on their Fav's or Alerts list, and the biggest yet to deltabeta26 who took the time to review.

The answer:

I won't answer the question about Jin's background yet, as i have already thought about the way information about his character will be pieced together along with the main story. What i mean to say is that i will not have him suddenly appear and tell everything about him out of the blue. I don't want to sound arrogant, but i believe his story will be a rare one among Naruto fanfiction. Whether that will be a good or a bad thing depends entirely on each reader's views. Now about his strength, i plan to explain his 'battle level' soon, but i think it's safe to say that no, he will not be anywhere near Kisame or Pein in strength, i think he will be about equal to Kakashi, but it's not set in stone yet... Besides if he was, there would be a huge value drop in Naruto's power.

**Chapter 3: The Third of the Three**

" So this is Tanzaku city huh? Doesn't seem like much Ero-Sennin... Are you sure that teammate of yours is here?"

Naruto and Jiraiya were standing at the gates of the city, Naruto with a balloon in hand and another in his pocket. He was now trying to complete the third stage of the Rasengan, with little success to his dismay, which was understandable, since he finished the second stage the previous day.

" Well, according to my research she was heading here two days ago, so all we have to do is search all the gambling houses and bars in the city and we'll find her. It shouldn't take that long, i mean how may bars and casinos can a city have?"

By now, they were walking in a bustling street, each of its sides filled with colourful signs, while Jiraiya stood still for a minute and read out loud.

" Ikashima Gambling House, Sakamoto Sake.... I already counted five possible spots.... This will take a while, won't it? We better get to work then.", the Toad Sage said, followed by Naruto who was mumbling some pretty mean things about old women addicted to gambling and alcohol.

o---o

o---o

o---o

- THREE HOURS LATER-

"Oh come on Ero-Sennin, we've been at it for hours, it's already night. Besides, we've looked practically at every store in the city... you even searched all the ladies' rooms 'wanting to make sure', remember?", said an annoyed Naruto. All that 'tour' around town was too distracting for him to focus on his training, and the fact that he wasn't improving did not help any.

" Stop complaining gaki, i bet you all the money in your wallet that she'll be in the next one!", the Toad Sage confidently said, earning his apprentice's attention.

" And what if you lose?"

"Hmmm, let's see....", after thinking a bit, he smirked," If you win i will give you a tip for your training."

" Heh, might as well tell me now, there's no way she'll be here, we've alr-"

"There she is! Hand the money over and follow me gaki.", the older man said right before he entered the building which Naruto identified as a bar. He wouldn't put it past his sensei to trick him, so he kept his money on his person, at least until he actually saw the person in question.

Sitting next to his sensei in a table in the back of the building, he focused his attention to the women sitting in front of him. Both women were in their early to mid thirties, one with short black hair and eyes wearing a black kimono, while the other had long blond hair styled into two ponytails that extended beyond her shoulders and wore a green jacket. He winced at the thought of his sensei offending them with his perverted antics before the blond one spoke up.

" What a strange day; to see both of my former teammates so suddenly is truly joyful!", she said in a mocking tone.

" So you have met Orochimaru already... What did he want? You know what he did, don't you, Tsunade?"

She frowned as the thoughts of her previous meeting ringed inside her mind...

_" I will revive them both in exchange for healing my hands. You don't have to answer me now, we will meet here in exactly a week.....And bring two people with you..... Expendable ones..."_

" Yes i have learned and no, he just wanted to talk, but that is not the point... The point is: What do you want here?"

" Please Tsunade-Sama, don't fight here!", her black haired companion interjected.

" I want to 'just talk' too then.", said the Toad Sage with a glare, which Tsunade returned with the same intensity.

Watching the exchange, both Naruto and the black haired woman were worried about the outcome of this talk. Both their companions were openly mocking each other, it wa a matter of time before a quarrel broke out.

Sighing, Jiraiya ordered a bottle of sake and relaxed his until that very moment tensed body. Tsunade mimicked him with a smirk on her face.

Tsunade decided to start things off.

" Who's the gaki?"

" Well Tsunade, meet my companion on this trip, Uzumaki Naruto, a Konoha genin. His dream is to someday become the Hokage.", She only sneered at that and continued.

" I know that you took him in because he looks like your last apprentice, but it doesn't look like he's got any talent at all.", said the blond woman, infuriating the boy, who put his fists up in protest.

" You don't even know me, how can you tell I'm not talented? Besides you look like you're thirty when you're the same age as Ero-Sennin, you know appearances can be deceiving, right?", he said and turned to his sensei continuing," What's she talking about Ero-Sennin, who was your former apprentice?"

Jiraiya straightened up and stated proudly," Well gaki, my former apprentice was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, and you do look like him a bit."

Taken aback by his answer, Naruto could only repeat " The Fourth Hokage...".

Interrupting the child's musings , Tsunade continued.

" Why are you here Jiraiya?"

" The elders and the Damyo have decided that you should become the next Hokage.", said Jiraiya with a dead-serious face, much to the surprise of Naruto and the female Sannin's companion.

" I thought so; I do not accept." She immediately said.

" Tsunade- Sama, please think about it, we have been on the move for many years now! This is a great opportunity to return back!"

" No , Shizune, if you want to return so much, then go on, but i will not be joining you!", Looking down, Shinune looked down in sadness and disappointment.

Jiraiya decided to push a bit further. " Since you talked to Orochimaru, you know how much the village needs you right now. You must put the past behind you and return."

" Why would i want to be your Hokage?..." she began in a mocking voice while Naruto's eyes began widening in shock.

"_So that the rest of my life i will be forced to sit in an office signing meaningless documents while wearing those ridiculous robes_?...". Her voice kept rising.

"So that i can be the first target for assassination? _So that i can give my life for those ungrateful bastards that will forget about it the next day like our sensei did_?..." She was now standing, the last phrase came out in a yell.

_It seems like a foul's job to me...._Her last phrase came out in yell , but to Naruto's ears was a mere whisper; Her previous words haunted his mind.... _So that i can give my life for those ungrateful bastards that will forget about it the next day like our sensei did...._

Jiraiya looked at his student with a worried look; he knew how hard the boy took the Third's death and that being Hokage was his dream, so he really feared his reaction to his teammate insults.

Contrary to his teacher's thoughts, Naruto only tightened his knuckles and stood up. Tsunade smirked; she loved when others underestimated her and tried to pick a fight with her. She was surprised at what happened next.

The kid in front of her turned his face away from her and towards the door. He began talking , his voice barely louder than a whisper: " What do you know about being Hokage? What gives you the right to say you do? You did not see the way the Old Man looked at the village through his window; How passionately he spoke about it; How proud he was to see each and every one of his people, shinobi or civilian, happy..."

With a sad smile he continued, as a tear made its way across his cheek."Our village is like a tree, each leaf, each of us, doing its part so that the tree will keep growing stronger_...._ Jiji used to say it often when it came to Konoha. A selfish person like you can not understand what it truly means, so maybe it's better that you do not want to be our Hokage, because..."

He wiped his cheek and turned to face her; Glaring at her he said "...you are not worthy to succeed him."

"You are not even worthy to call him your sensei; a student always follows his teacher's ways".

As he began walking to the door , he said one more thing: " I will become the Hokage one day, because, unlike you, i'd prefer to live as a fool than as a coward...".

Tsunade and Shizune were shocked to hear such a speech from a twelve year old boy, while a faint smile appeared on Jiraiya's face; his apprentice was getting more interesting literally by the minute.

" I am going out to train; I want to learn the Rasengan as soon as possible. See you later _sensei_ ", he said before crossing the door and disappearing from the adults' sight.

As the two women looked at him with a questioning look, he decided to indulge them. " The boy was very attached to sensei; He was there for him when nobody else was", he said with regret evident in his voice.

" I think i will go after him; i don't want him overexerting himself trying to forget about that meaningless little outburst of yours... Anyway, think about my offer.... I believe that's what they would have wanted too..".

'_Nawaki.....Dan...could that be true_?'. That was Tsunade's only thought as she saw her teammate leave.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-THE NEXT DAY, KONOHA HOSPITAL-

Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino were walking along the long white corridor, flowers in their hands. Finding the room they were looking for , they knocked the door; receiving no answer, they entered, making sure not to make too much noise as not to disturb the patients inside. Feeling relieved that they found the right room , they went on to put the flowers they carried with them in a vase; Sakura was sure that Kakashi would appreciate the gesture and honestly hoped that Sasuke would too. They seemed to be asleep to her; if she didn't know any better , she would try to wake them up. Kakashi-sensei with a yell and Sasuke-kun with...

She chased the thought away from her mind and spoke.

"They look so peaceful... I can't help thinking that they will wake up any moment now to tell us that all this was a bad joke....", the pink haired kunoichi said sadly as her friend only nodded.

" My father told me that Sasuke-kun's brother came back to the village and they both confronted him....", Ino slowly said

" He also said that the genjutsu used on them was extremely powerful and...", the blond haired kunoichi could hardly say it, " that its effects might be irrever-"

" We need some fresh air here. I bet that Sasuke-kun would not appreciate waking up to a dusty room , now would he?" Sakura interrupted her friend.

Ino looked at her friend sadly as the pink haired girl opened the window slightly. A refreshing breeze was welcomed into the room. Sakura looked a few moments outside; All the little clouds were slowly disappearing from the face of the sky.

" I know everything will be fine..." she said as she got her friend's attention.

"I know that this will pass and we will be a whole team, doing missions again... With Kakashi-sensei arriving late at the team meetings with his little orange book in his hands...", she smiled faintly.

" Sasuke-kun with his cool attitude , his hands in his pockets and confidence in his eyes....", her smile grew bigger.

"And with Naruto-baka grinning sheepishly with his hand rubbing the back of his head, saying he's sorry for something's he's done wrong again..." she laughed a bit, a fond smile on her face.

"Sakura, i-"Ino was interrupted again.

" I feel so useless at times...not being able to anything worthwhile to help them... I don't have any clan jutsu to use or large chakra reserves to help them when they fight. I can't even help them ouside of battles, like now...."

They heard the door knock and soon a female doctor approached the two patients. She only nodded at them before performing some handseals, green chakra appearing on them. The girls looked at her amazed while she went over Kakashi's and Sasuke's body and then wrote something in the patient logs. She nodded at them again and left.

Sakura was still looking at where the doctor was. She was sure that was a jutsu, she even remembered the handseals the doctor had used. She then looked at her open palms.

'_Maybe these hands are not meant to help them fight....Maybe they are meant to keep them safe_'. She looked at her blond friend and understood she had similar thoughts. Looking at her teammates again one last time, she smiled softly and ran out of the room with Ino, looking for the female kunoichi-doctor that had visited them.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE TANZAKU CITY-

Naruto was lying on the grass of yet another of his makeshift training grounds, dead-tired. Shizune met with him yesterday, asking him not to judge her sensei too harshly and shared her story with him. He regreted said many of the things he said, even though he still stood by his initial judgement; she was not worthy of succeeding the Third. Perhaps he had too high standards but he could not help it, he considered the Old Man as his first sensei; he may not have taught him any jutsus or trained him, but he had shown him the most important thing... What it meant to be a shinobi of the Leaf and a Hokage.

" I see you are finally resting a bit, eh? All that overnight training really takes its toll." His current sensei appeared sitting next to him. " Any progress?"

"Nah.." The blond was not in the mood to talk, he was still feeling bad about his behaviour.

Jiraiya sighed in understanding; He knew Naruto was a kind soul that always seeked to make others feel better, happier, not the other way around. " Do not feel bad about what you did. Tsunade needed this to finally snap out of the past's memories... She refused to turn her past into experience yet; Until she does, she will not return with us..."

Nodding slowly, Naruto asked a question he had been meaning to ask for a long time." Why did not accept the position?"

Taken aback by his student's question, he simply answered." Since those who decide who gets the seat thought that they put up with Tsunade, they must have thought that they could also put up with your perviness Ero-Sennin." He said with a small smile.

Ruffling his apprentice's hair a bit , Jiraiya patiently stated. " She's not that bad once you get to know her... You know, from what you have told me about your teammate, she was just like her when she was your age...Even back then she packed one hell of a punch!" They both laughed a bit.

" Hey, Ero-Sennin, will you give me that training tip now?"

"You lost , remember? I owe you nothing, which reminds me.....", In a swift motion Naruto could not follow, Jiraiya snatched his toad-shaped wallet from his pocket and put it away from his previous owner's reach.

" Oh come on Ero-Sennin, that's all my savings...", a firm rejection came from Jiraiya.

"Gama-Sennin? Great Jiraiya-sama?...Super Pervert-sama?" Scratching his chin in thought, the Toad Sage seemed to consider it. "No way, the host clubs here are way too expensive to pay with my own money!" he said as he shunshined away, moments before Naruto's still incomplete Rasengan hit the exact spot his face would be.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-TANZAKU CITY, SIX DAYS SINCE THE MEETING WITH TSUNADE-

Jiraiya and Tsunade were in one of the many bars in the city, drinking their favourite sake. They had met all the previous days too, Jiraiya attempting to persuade his teammate to join Konoha, and Tsunade considering avoiding Jiraiya a task not worth the effort. This time though, both were awfully quiet; Tsunade had told him that she would leave town the next day. They both had many drinks, and one of Jiraiya's contained a special substance which targeted ninjas, since it totally set one's chakra out of his control.

" Don't think you have fooled me Tsunade-hime; i inform you that if what you slipped in my drink was your latest rape drug or an aphrodisiac, i regret to tell you that it went to waste. You just have to admit that your defences are nothing compared to the manly charms of the greatest pervert to walk the land of fire since the Elder Toad Sage was a tadpole!" Jiraiya whispered in her ear, making her primarily furious and a bit glad to hear her teammate's antics after such a long time.

Assuming a serious face, The Toad Sage, turned away from her." Are you planning to use me and the gaki as the sacrifices for Orochimaru's Edo Tensei?"

Tsunade's eyes widened in realisation that he knew." H-How lo-ong ha-" she stuttered before the white haired man interrupted her.

" Don't underestimate me Tsunade, i can add two and two together." It seems that i am at your mercy then, i don't know what you gave me... But if you dare to bring Naruto into this after all he's been through, i swear that i will come back from the dead to kill you", he said glaring at her and releasing an intense killing intent which left Tsunade breathing heavily.

She looked back at him in shame, because in a moment of weakness the did consider the unthinkable; The very moment she put the drug to Jiraiya's sake cup.

" I see you look ashamed... Fine, i accept your apology, now give me the antidote.."

He looked at her expectantly, and when he spotted no movement on her part, he was surprised beyond words.." I'm stuck with it? You can't be serious! Tomorrow is the deadline of his offer! Do you think that he will just let you go without a fight if you don't heal him?"

" I know, i know, you don't need to tell me... I will fight him."

" Dammit Tsunade, there will be no fight, he knows about your Hemophobia!He will defeat you just by removing the bandages from his hands!", the older man said. Still trying to calm down he asked, " How long will i be in this condition?"

Tsunade made a gesture similar to the victory sign.

" .....We're screwed".

o---o

o---o

o---o

-SEVENTH DAY, NOON-

Naruto was standing next to his sensei, watching from a safe distance the place that Tsunade previously met Orochimaru and his subordinate. He was very tense; this was the man that had attacked them at the Chuunin exams, the mastermind behind the Invasion , his sensei's teammate and most of all: The Third's killer. He knew that one misstep here and all was gone. He felt a hand on his shoulder: he looked at teacher, who nodded and pointed towards the meeting grounds.

Two tall figures emerged from the far side of the road, one with long black hair flowing over his shoulders and another one the boy recognised as one of the Chuunin participants, Yakushi Kabuto. Upon further inspection his eyes widened in shock. His headband had a symbol different than the Leaf. ' _A musical note? What in the.._'

A traitor! And Orochimaru was no doubt his superior. He gritted his teeth in anger, but calmed down as the hand on his shoulder put a little more pressure in its grip.

Tsunade calmly walked near them ,Shizune in toe, as Orochimaru cheerily greeted them.

" So Tsunade-hime, have you made your decision?", he said in his snake-like voice.

She only nodded and added." I have already prepared the 'pair'. I want to see them before i heal your hands. Come, i have left them outside the town because i did not want to arouse any suspicions."

The Snake-Sannin's eyes narrowed , but his smile never left its place. " Very well then.. I hope your 'safehouse' is not far, i want to get this over with as quickly as possible..."

o---o

o---o

o---o

-TEN MINUTES LATER, GRASS MEADOWS OUTSIDE TANZAKU CITY-

" Well i suppose this is good enough, don't you agree Tsunade-Hime?", the Snake-Sannin said. They had not reached the so called 'safehouse' as there was none to reach, so Tsunade just sighed. " Well you finally found out, huh? i guess this was bound to happen sometime. We might as well get started.", the blond woman said as she slipped in her unique taijutsu stance.

" But that would be awfully rude of us don't you agree Tsunade-Hime? After all how many years has it been since all three of us gathered? Care to hazard a guess _Jiraiya-chan_?", the snake-like man said joyfully, and Jiraiya with Naruto appeared next to Tsunade.

" Did you actually think you could mask your presence from me? Stealth was another one of the shinobi arts that you had no talent in, my former teammate.", he said , a huge grin on his face.

Kabuto now spoke up." It is nice to see that you are well Naruto-kun although i can't help wondering what you are doing out here... These water are way too deep for you to cross"

" If the waters are not deep enough for a traitor like you to cross, then i should be more than fine; i am planning to show you how fine actually." , the blond said with a foxy grin on his face.

" No, he is right, you will stay back with Shizune... Tsunade and i will take take of this."

"But.."

"No buts! This is my final word! You will not interfere." the white haired Sannin said with all his authority, so Naruto nodded his head slowly.

Kabuto swallowed a pill and made some handseals, Jiraiya and Tsunade sprinted at their opponents, wanting to make this a taijutsu fight, while Orochimaru, with his hands on his sides, just smirked as lowered himself to the ground to gain a more sturdy foothold.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Kabuto finished his handseals, his hands glowing with blue chakra that seemed to extend vertically from his palms, vaguely taking the form of a blade. ' _chakra scalpels?This will be tougher than i thought.._', thought Tsunade as she came to a stop in front of him.' _I cannot let him hit me with one of these; i will wait for him to attack me and counter him when he makes a mistake_.'

As if understanding her strategy, the only thing Kabuto said was " As expected from one of the Legendary Three." before taking a leap with his hands poised in front of him.

Aiming low, Kabuto went for the thigh, but was dodged by Tsunade, who had no time to reach though as his other hand reached almost touched her forearm. Already Tsunade could feel a small part of he muscles being torn; It was nearly impossible for the common eye to calculate the length of the scalpel at any given time, and to make matters worse, that boy was a lot faster than her. Had it not been for her experience in predicting body movement, her lower arm would be unusable now.

Kabuto launched again towards her, aiming at the lungs this time. Crouching in the nick of time, Tsunade managed to avoid both strikes, and seeing an opening she made the best of it: Pumping chakra in her fist. She managed a blow to Kabuto's gut. As he doubled over from the immense pain, the silver haired boy was left open for another attack; Or so Tsunade thought. Her fist had already been thrown, aiming his head,as he dodged to the side while hitting her breath with a palm strike, knocking the breath out of her.

The now smirking boy was standing opposite her, fixing his glasses" Well, the game is over.. I have pierced your lungs, it's only a matter of ti-". He saw with surprise that Tsunade was still in a condition to fight, and was in fact hitting the ground,which seemed like a crazy thing to do, until the punch connected and the ground under him was shattered ." This is far from over gaki!" He heard his opponent yell, her hand on her chest, green chakra healing her wound.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Jiraiya formed some handseals with blinding speed and took a deep breath: " **Katon: Karyu Endan**". Instead of a fast and powerful stream of fire to be blasted forth, something that vaguely resembled a hot spit came out.

' _Dammit Tsunade you have ruined me!_' he said as he engaged Orochimaru in close quarters combat.

" No matter how much you grow older, you will never mature, Jiraiya. You will always be the same failure you have been since the very beginning. Even when we are both handicapped, you are still no match for me." Orochimaru mockingly said.

' _One more time! I will get the attack out now, i don't care what Tusnade's drug was, i will succeed!._'

Jumping back in order to disengage from the taijutsu match, , the Toad Sage began flashing through handseals again and yelled " **Doton: Doryuudan **!". Instead of a dragon statue the Sannin's size rising from the ground to shoot rocks from its mouth the dragon's mouth was no bigger than his palm.

Orochimaru only giggled at his opponent's pathetic attempts while Jiraiya was considering to use all the jutsus that failed today against Tsunade in three days.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Tsunade was already winded; she had not been in a battle of this level in a long time and the healing technique that she used took its toll on her chakra reserves. It was with great satisfaction however that she saw her opponent was not fairing much better. That blow she had given him was in the beginning of their battle, so she was able to hit him with full force. She knew for sure the blow would take a massive amount of chakra to be effectively healed for combat. Wanting to finish this as soon as possible to back up Jiraiya who was handicapped, she sped forward, both her fists swelling with chakra, ready to take advantage of the slightest opening.

Kabuto quickly backed away from his enemy; the scalpels were draining his chakra too fast; Deactivating one, he left only the one on his right hand active. Tsunade tried an upper kick which the silver haired boy blocked with his right hand, simultaneously disabling the foot below the ankle as he formed a fist with his left one and slammed Tsunade's chin with all the power he had left, throwing her back limping.

Tsunade was not worried about her foot as could easily fix it; What concerned was the small stream of hot liquid that began from he lower lip and travelled through the chin. She began trembling as she felt the metallic taste in her was oblivious to everything around her now, even Kabuto , who was now speeding up activating both his scalpels with the intention to disable her until the fight with Jiraiya was over. As his scalpels were about to connect, he reflexively dodged to the side; looking back he saw a couple of senbon that appeared to be drenched in poison.

" Do you think you will succeed where your master failed?" he said with a grin as he closed the distance between them rapidly. Pushing Naruto aside, Shizune breathed out a poison mist and backed away to locate her opponent. The was caught off guard, however, as Kabuto managed to appaer behind her and place a scalpel-enhanced palm strike on each of her shoulders. Before she could even react, he had already slipped his hands just above her knees and slowly started to go up, his hands going through her inner thighs while the scalpels cut tendon after tendon. Yelling out in pain, Shizune fell down, unable to move hands or legs. A sadistic smile appeared on the silver haired boy, before he heard his master's call and run to meet him.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Jiraiya was panting: Orochimaru's body always was flexible and his speed superior to his even in his prime; Things now were even worse as Jiraiya's body grew old while Orochimaru's was pretty much the same after all this time. He knew that in his current condition he was no match for the Snake-Sannin in a taijutsu match. He knew though that since he called his subordinate, he was in more trouble yet. As Kabuto appeared next to his master, Orochimaru removed the bandages covering his hands, revealing that each one had a summoning tattoo near the wrist. Getting blood from a minor wound he had, Kabuto began made the necessary handseals and slammed his hand on the floor and two giant snakes poofed into existence, one with the boy on its head and the other with his master.

Orochimaru smirked." It was a fun reunion, but i'm afraid i have to cut it short. Kill everyone except Tsunade!" he ordered and his snakes obeyed, Orochimaru's going for Jiraiya while Kabuto's going for Shizune.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Naruto was gritting his teeth; He had never seen his sensei so serious before, so he did what he asked' not to interfere.; Not even when Tsunade lost the battle because of her fear of blood; not when Orochimaru mocked his sensei; not when the traitor Kabuto violated Shizune-neesan like that...

_' In the world of ninjas, those who break the rules are called trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash'_, Kakshi-sensei's words ringed in his mind and he sped towards the immobilised Shizune. Running as fast as he could , he picked Shizune up moments before the beast's fangs reached her.

" You cannot run away for ever, little fox!",shouted Kabuto from atop the snake.

Naruto stopped next to Tsunade." Baa-san, snap out of it!", No response came from the blond.

" We don't have time for this, Shizune -neesan is DYING!", he yelled at the top of his lungs, still receiving no kind of acknolwedgement. Noticing the snake was ready to atack again, he left Shizune by her master's side and moved away from them.

" Come on you traitor! Show me what you've got!" the blond boy goaded, and Kabuto was inclined to indulge him. Naruto made no move to escapethe beast's mouth taht swallowed him whole.

Jiraiya looked on horrified , Naruto had been swallowed by the other snake.

" You really have an eye for spotting failures Jiraiya, i'll admit that you've outdone yourself this time, this kid is the least talented of all the runts you've trained over the years."

Jiraiya only smirked." Coming from you, that means that he is the most talented of them all. Even you spotted the difference between him and the others."

Jiraiya jumped away from the snake's back and started forming handseals. Still falling face first, he bit his thumb and waited for contact. "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!", he yelled , standing on his hands. After a small bang and a cloud of smoke a tiny toad appeared before him. Jiraiya winced; _' Gamabunta's son?'_. He quickly scooped him up before the tail of Orochimaru's snake had the chance to slam them, his mind focused on saving Naruto.

Naruto was disgusted; whatever those things ate, it did not smell good. Trying to concentrate , he called upon the Kyuubi's power with the usual means of threatening and swearing. He felt the power grow inside him as he bit his thumb and formed the same handseals his sensei had used moments earlier on the outside. **" Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"** he yelled as he felt the Kyuubi's chakra been consumed.

Tsunade was trembling; Blood was on her hand and she still could taste that metallic taste from minutes earlier. For a moment, she felt like her necklace wasn't moving in the same way as she was during her trembling; it was as if it moved on its own. She heard a muffled yell and turned her attention there momentarily, before more blood splattered everything around her; he succumbed to her fears again, ignoring the fact that her necklace's strange movement had stopped.

Kabuto heard a muffled yell and smirked; apparently he wasn't that easy to though he was thrown away by an apparently heavy hit. Turning around , he was very surprised to see A grinning Naruto, hands crossed in front of chest, on top a huge Toad with a sheathed battle knife of equal proportions looking at him with scarred left torn the snake apart from inside, surveyed the area and the person on top of his head, he only said.

**" Well, you know how to get yourself in a real fight gaki. Even Jiraiya is fighting, and with Orochimaru no less... Interesting."**, said the Gama boss in a deep voice.

Jiraiya mentally berated himself worrying for the blond so easily and jumped up to Gamabunta's head." Hello old friend.. Will you fight with me one more time for old times' sake?"

Gamabunta smirked and unsheathed his blade.

" I got it up here gaki, you make sure Tsunade and Shizune are safe,got it?" Naruto nodded and stepped down. He noticed that Kabuto was now summoning again, and this time he knew he would go up against Manda, Orochimaru's personal summon. Smirking, the Toad Sage made a proposition." Why don't we take out that uninvited guest while we wait for the big guns to arrive?"

**"Always the same Jiraiya.... even though i wouldn't have it any other way."**, a dangerous smile appeared on the summoned toad's face, as he pulled back, preparing himself to leap at his target.

Naruto found his way back with Shizune and Tsunade to see that they were physically the same as he left them, although Tsunade was now trembling much more than before and naruto could not blame her; Gamabunta had already cut the head of the second snake, and its blood spluttered over the whole battlefield. Taking a better look at Shizune, it seemed that she had somehow managed to move her hands and heal the most critical injuries her legs had suffered, but she was still a long ways from being able to fight again.

He heard the laugh the had come to hate this very day, only to turn around and see Kabuto clapping his hands. " Well done Naruto-kun, it seems the power inside you isn't totally wasted after all. But this is no place for a mere genin. Move aside and live or stay put and die; your choice."

Naruto once again looked back. If he backed away, he knew that Shizune would be killed and Tsunade would be taken and eventually forced to heal Orochimaru's arms... The arms that the Third had given his life to disable. If Orochimaru succeeded, his sacrifice would have been in vain... He would not let that happen. **" Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**, he shouted as ten copies of him appeared around him, kunai in hand. They all charged towards the silver haired man, who only gave a smile too familiar to his superior and reached for a kunai of his own.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Orochimaru and Jiraiya were trading blows next to their summons' battle. Gamabunta, knowing Manda's agility and speed shot continuously water balls, avoiding a direct confrontation. Sensing the battle between his subordinate and the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, Orochimaru only giggled." It seems your apprentice has bit on more than he can chew". A kick came fast, aimed at his chin, which dodged and extended his neck to bind the Toad Sage.

**" Hari Jizo!"**, Jiraiya countered instinctively, his hair growing abnormally fast, covering his entire body. Noticing the technique did not harden his hair as was necessary, Orochimaru wrapped his head around his former teammate several times, whispering to his ears." And your summon seems to be as untalented as you after all!". Jiraiya looked at the battle next to them to see Gamabunta greatly constricted by the enemy summon. They all froze, however, as they heard a familiar jutsu being called out.

**"Rasengan!"**

o---o

o---o

o---o

-A FEW MINUTES EARLIER-

Naruto was breathing hard; Kabuto was superior to him in all physical aspects, especially in speed; He could hardly see him coming , barely having time to dodge the more serious blows. His whole bod was filled with cuts, which the sweat from the exertion made even more unbearable.

_' I have to stop him somehow and finish him with one strong blow... the rasengan is my only chance...'_, he thought as he gritted his teeth, forming several clones with the intention to pin him down long enough to make sure he would not miss.

Attacking in teams of three, four even five was not nearly enough to stop him, he was too agile to get a firm grip; as soon as they came near him, he would just spin around and destroy them all in one motion. He only had one choice left; he would take the hit.... Forming ten more clones, he got mentally prepared to get hit and was on a lookout for an opportunity to use a Kawarimi with one of his clones and grab him.

Slashing in fluid motions, Kabuto seemed to be getting bored and impatient to get this over with; he was also getting more careless with every attack because of that. Finally, spotting the perfect chance, Naruto went through the handseals and performed a Kawarimi with the clone that was about to get hit on the shoulder.

Kabuto was surprised to see that he still found resistance on his kunai after slashing the blond that was in front of him. Giving him no chance to react, Naruto wrapped his left hand on Kabuto's right one, holding him still. Sensing the clone that Naruto switched places with attempting to reach the blond, the young man turned to face him and threw his kunai at him, hitting him near the heart, dispelling him.

Taking advantage of the distraction that he had created, Naruto focused with all the concentration he could considering the circumstances, as many thoughts regarding the technique flashed though his mind instantaneously.

_'I still needed more time, dammit! All my clones are destroyed and i can't make anymore now; I had tried forming it with the help of a clone while training and i got it right... I will have to try the other way...'_

Imagining he was holding one of those air balloon's Jiraiya gave him, he held out his hand, his fingers spread as far as each other as possible.

_' I cannot spin my chakra randomly like Ero-Sennin yet, but i can release chakra from my fingertips and send it in circles with my fingers as the paths it will follow, giving it five main rotations... It cannot sustain as much power as the one made with the help of the Kage Bunshin, since the rotations are fewer, but i think i can make a smaller complete Rasengan if i focus...'_

Still holding Kabuto to the best of his ability, a small blue ball of chakra appeares on his right hand. His mind clicked as he felt it was complete. Pushing forward with his remaining power, he yelled, his voice echoed in the battlefield.

**"Rasengan!"**

Something had gone wrong, though Naruto couldn't understand what had happened. Kabuto , for one was still standing there unharmed, so surprised that he was safe that he did not bother to back away from blond. Secondly, a white rock was protruding from the ground between the Rasengan and Kabuto's chest. The blond's attack had made a perfectly spherical hole in the middle of the strange stone. Realising the implications of this, Kabuto smirked and mentaly berated himself for getting so caught up in the fight as to forget his careful planning. Releasing himself from the blond, the young medic-nin took a step back and spoke.

" If you had not intervened this may have ended badly. Thank you.. Kimimaro-kun."

o---o

o---o

**Author's Notes**

Chapter 3 is done! Thanks for reading this far and hope you liked the little twist at the end; as the story progresses the twists will keep becoming bigger and more frequent , so stay tuned!

I was originally going to split this into two chapters but i thought it was time to see some action. I really would appreciate any feedback concerning the battle, anything in your mind; too detailed? too vague?boring? interesting? too long? too short?. If that's what you think, say so, every bit of advice helps with the writing part!

I hope you liked the scene with Sakura and Ino. I felt that Kishi did not give her the necessary scenes to develop her intentions of becoming a medic, and honestly, i got the impression that it was done ONLY TO show team 7 similarities to the Legendary Three... Well, not on this fic!

And to those that are interested in accepting challenges, check out my profile , i have one you might like!

Next chapter: The battle's conclusion and the return to the village.


	4. The Hands That Guide Me

**DISCLAIMER**

**I do not own the anime or manga Naruto in any way, shape or form!**

**A Few Words**

A thank you to everyone that read this story so far, a bigger to those that added it to their Fav's or Alerts list, and the biggest yet to those that took the time to review: deltabeta26, redxdragon.

The response to your reviews:

deltabeta26: I need to clarify a few things and your review was a good chance to do so. I meant what i said about there being no godlike characters, but some of you were confused with the way i said it. What i mean is that no character will be too strong compared to the opposition. Also the comparison to Kakashi refers to my oc's relative strength, not Naruto's. I also want everyone to know that i intend to see this through, i am not one to leave things half-done and will not abandon this story.

Redxdragon: Unfortunately i have not seen the movie you mention, because i do not enjoy the way our mythology( Clash of the Titans, Troy etc) and history( 300 ) are portrayed on the big screen. Moving on to your thoughts on chapter 3, i think the canon Naruto would get the ramen no questions asked, while mine did ask when he met Jin at first. But then again, Naruto is Naruto, he likes ramen very much, plus the man did not seem threatening to him. As for the meeting between Jin and Jiraiya, the whole sensei thing is the other way around than what you understood.

Moving on to chapter 4, Naruto's response was not only because of her insults about the position of Hokage, but also because of the personal attack to the Third, and the belittling of his actions. I am glad you like the battle, i was kind of nervous to see if readers liked it, as i am not very comfortable with describing battle scenes yet. If by saying 'buy the farm' you mean get killed, i must disagree. Kabuto is a good boy, better than Tobi i dare say! I think that what was said in the manga was that Kabuto could just perform the Edo Tensei better than Orochimaru, which is plausible, seeing that he is a medic-nin and helped the Sannin extensively with his experiments. Besides, think positively; he might be taken over by Orochimaru if pushed far enough...

Anyways, moving on to Chapter 4 of NAToD ( Naruto: A Tale of Determination).

**Chapter 4: The Hands That Guide Me**

" If you had not intervened, this may have ended badly. Thank you, Kimimaro-kun."

To Naruto's dismay, a figure started forming from the white stalagmite-shaped rock. Moments later, a white haired man around Kabuto's age with green eyes and two red dots instead of eyebrows was passively looking at him. " Almost defeated by trash shinobi... Pathetic.", he told Kabuto, eyes locked with the blond." You have a powerful technique... Not many can cause this much damage to my strongest type of bone...."

After taking a short look at the whole battlefield, he added, " Don't overestimate your abilities again Kabuto-san...". He disappeared into the bone again, leaving a shocked Naruto and an angry Kabuto.

A big frown was visible on Orochimaru's face; if that boy could perform that jutsu correctly he could be a nuisance in the future, and the Snake Sannin would not want that. The smirk on Jiraiya's face infuriated him; Gathering more chakra, he started attacking with more malice and killing intent than he had even during the Second Shinobi War, aiming a kick to the Toad Sage's head.

Jiraiya skillfully dodged it and jumped on Gamabunta's head; he was getting tired fast, Orochimaru was formidable in Taijutsu even when not using his hands.

The Snake Sannin understood his teammate's condition perfectly but was not about to let him rest; followed him and continued to throw kicks in addition to using his elongated neck to constrict his movements.

**" Sawarabi no Mai!"** both Sannins heard; one smiled and jumped away; the other glanced around in surprise that some one else had found their battle site.

Almost immediately the ground around Gamabunta started to shatter before giving way to thousands of sharp edged bones that continued growing rapidly; Noticing something wrong where he was standing, the Toad Boss had managed the jump before the bones damaged his feet. Been surprised nonetheless, he had not placed enough power to jump very high, something he realised with horror as the bones were reaching him and fast; he would not be able to avoid them.

Making one handseal, the giant toad shot a ball of highly concentrated water to break them, but his efforts were in vain.

Jiraiya knew he had to do something; he had already realised that his ninjutsu was barely effective, but if he could help even a bit he had to try; he owed it to his long time partner. His hands blurring with the speed he formed the handseals with, he focused his chakra.

**" Hari Jizo!"** he yelled as his hair grew faster than the incoming bones, and wrapped the giant toad's body, leaving the head and the limbs free. Seconds later the bones reached their target; Jiraiya's overgrown, hardened hair started turning red mere moments after. Gamabunta's yell made his pain known to everyone in the vicinity.

Naruto and his Kage bunshin looked at the sight in front of them stunned; that man's bones were standing a good three hundred meters above ground. Near the center if that forest of bones, Gamabunta was barely moving, still wrapped in what seemed to be Jiraiya's hair, pinned on top of the stalagmites.

The boy whispered a curse; he was the one who summoned him to what appeared to be his death. The guilt brought anger; the anger brought the now familiar red chakra.

" I am sorry..." he muttered, as red chakra started to leak all around him, its density much bigger than ever before.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Jiraiya released his defensive technique, retracting his hair back; he could feel his old friend breathing heavily, each breath making the next harder.

**" I wanted to do this for a long time!"** said Manda, his body coiled around one of the bigger bones formed during the previous attack. He showed his sharp fangs at the injured toad and jumped with all his power, aiming at his head.

**"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!", **yelled a new voice, followed by the bang signalling the technique's success.

Manda saw a large round object getting between him and his prey; being already in midair, he could not dodge completely. The tremendous force behind the hit he took threw him at the edge of the bone forest, where he managed to wrap his tail around another bone and look at his new opponent.

In front of him was standing a Toad the same size as Gamabunta, purple in color with black marks below his eyes and on his hands. He had two horns above his eyes and wore a strange hat that seemed to be made of the same materials a his shield that was shaped as a sake cup. He had one hand supporting him by gripping a bone and the other was holding his shield up. He also noticed he had a black Sasumata ( A/N the two-pronged fork he carries ) on his back.

While Manda was trying to measure his opponent , Orochimaru looked for his own, the summoner.

He did not have to look hard to find him as he was standing on top of the newly summoned toad. He had brown hair with no headband showing his affiliation, but appeared to be wearing a standard Konoha uniform with one exception: His left side's limbs were not covered by the uniform as it seemed to be torn off. Instead they were covered by cloth wrapped around like a bandage, the hand's was red colored while the leg's had a white color. Jiraiya who was behind the said figure noticed that his Jacket did not have the usual whirl that all the other Jounin or chuunin vests had, but rather a circle with a kanji he could not make out at the moment.

" So it's another one of your failures Jiraiya, although...", he trailed off, trying a bit more to remember before saying it, " your leg was cut off during that incident yet... you seem as if you are completely fine.", Orochimaru said as the enemy summoner looked at him, his hands crossed in front of his chest.

Gamaken was confused. Snakes were a pretty common enemy at Mount Myoboku, so when he saw one that big attacking what appeared to be a fellow toad, he acted instinctively. Taking a better look, he identified the snake as Manda, the Snake Sannin's personal summon; even though he had seen him only a handful of times at best, he made a lasting impression on him. He noticed the extra weight on his head, but his summoner spoke before he had a chance to ask.

" It's nice to see you again Gamaken-san!"

The giant toad's eyes widened in surprise.

**" ....Jin-san? Unbelievable... I haven't seen you for about twenty years, since you..."**, he was interrupted by Jin, who pointed behind and said.

" Sensei and Bunta need help, we'll catch up later."

Gamaken nodded and threw his shield up high. Gripping his weapon from his back, he made a wide slashing arc, cutting all the bones that were stuck in Gamabunta. The Injured toad managed to use his unharmed limbs to move himself out of the area the bones had earlier infested.

Orochimaru and Jin locked eyes for a minute before the older man spoke, " You are an uninteresting opponent..... Kimimaro-kun take good care of you.... Manda, the toad is all yours". He instantly sped away, giving chase to Jiraiya, while Kimimaro simultaneously appeared behind Jin, preventing him from backing up Jiraiya.

o---o

o---o

o---o

The Toad Sannin was inspecting Gamabunta's wounds. He was no expert, but even he could tell that his personal summon would not last more than ten more minutes at best. Stricken by grief and guilt, he heard his fellow Sannin's loud laugh.

" A fitting end to one so insignificant. Now allow me to let you escort him to the other side.... i feel i owe it to you as a friend and teammate.", he laughed a bit more.

Jiraiya did not answer nor acknowledge any of words. Instead, he sped up and led him away from Gamabunta, intending to finish this fight as fast as he could.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Shizune was constantly surprised at the way the tide of battle changed every few minutes. She knew that Gamabunta's injury would be fatal unless treated right away, but in their current condition nothing could be done. Tsunade's mortifying fear was ever present; her whole body shaking almost violently now. The black haired woman suddenly heard her master's necklace jingle; she thought she had briefly heard it before but it could easily have been her imagination. She looked to see what it was now.

Tsunade was trembling like a leaf blown by the wind. She felt the weight of her necklace leave her; the little metal chain that kept it in place shifted. She looked down to see what had happened, only to be surprised; it was pointing at something while giving off a faint green light. Following the way it was pointing to , the female Sannin saw Naruto surrounded by red chakra that was forming a shape, with fox ears and one tail. Said boy turned to face her and looked at her with his now red slitted eyes.

" You know Tsunade- baachan, i am afraid of blood too..." The chain holding the necklace was streched, the light emitted more bright.

" But i can't stop here, now .... because if i do, i know that i will see the blood of those i care about so much... and that scares me even more..."

Casting a glance the way the injures toad was he said. " Ero-Sennin told me you are the best medic alive.... Please, help Gamabunta... Protect others from the pain you have suffered... like a Hokage does."

Tsunade put the palm of her hand underneath the crystal.

_'Is that you Nawaki...Dan... Are you telling me to entrust your will to him?_'. She thought she saw the light become brighter for a second, as if answering her question. Still in tears, she gripped her necklace tightly; the trembling began to subside, the tears gone. In that one moment, Konoha's fifth Hokage stood up for the first time.

" Be safe gaki, we need to talk after all this is over." Tsunade helped Shizune up and they both ran towards Gamabunta as Naruto turned his gaze to Kabuto, who had just finished taking out another team of twenty kage bunshins the boy had sent at him prior to his talk.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-MEANWHILE-

Jin had drawn Kimimaro away from the battle between Gamaken and Manda; He had noticed his ability to transport himself through the bones he created and intended to take that advantage away. The white haired boy was holding a bone of his about the size of a tanto ( A/N the blade Sai uses), several bones protruding from his forearms, enhancing his taijutsu abilities greatly.

Jin knew he was at a disadvantage; Taijutsu never was his forte, while his opponent's style focused solely on it. His trick might have worked so that he could move well enough to fight, but he doubted he could avoid him for long; he had to outsmart him or use powerful ninjutsu against him. He prepared to dodge as Kimimaro leaped forward with incredible speed.

Forming handseals, Jin pumped chakra to his lungs and took a deep breath.

**" Katon:Gouka Dakatsu no Jutsu!"** ( Fire Release: Hell Fire Serpent), a huge blast of fire escaped his mouth and took the form of a ten meter-long snake that immediately went after its target. Kimimaro was quick to dodge, not noticing Jin's smirk as he was holding a one handed seal; focusing chakra, he made the fire snake turn back after the white haired boy. Kimimaro sensed the attack coming from behind him and took the necessary measures to stop it; without wasting a sliver of chakra, he started expanding the bones on his back, forming a flexible but incredibly durable bone shield. The attack hit him dead on but he was not phased in the least.

_' This is going to take some time...'_, the brown haired man thought. Seeing the boy form a drill covering his entire left forearm, Jin rushed to avoid yet another strike. Thankfully, the massive drill was slow enough to bypass easily; Having found an opening, he made a handseal and as flame began to gather in his hand, his fist connected with Kimimaro's face, knocking him a few steps back. Even as his face was severely burned, the boy gave an impassive look at his opponent and began forming some handseals of his own. Recognising by the sequence that he was about to launch an earth jutsu, Jin ran towards some nearby trees that were in the immediate vicinity.

Kimimaro slammed his hands on the ground, not bothering to call out his technique's name. Immediately the upper layers of earth around him started to shatter, forming multiple fissures across the battlefield. He called upon his cursed seal's power as dark spots covered his entire body. He remained in the same stance for a bit more, which surprised Jin. Bones erupted all around the tree he was on, destroying it moments after he managed to escape.

Wanting to take advantage of his enemy's immobility, Jin made a handseal and as flame chakra was again in his grasp, he sped towards the white haired boy. He was in for a surprise since his alone prevented him from jumping over one of the small fissures as bones erupted rapidly from inside all of them at the same time. Almost immediately after that happened, Kimimaro noticed that Jin had lost his balance for a brief moment for no apparent reason. Remembering what the Snake Sannin said about him earlier, he decided to test his theory.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Tsunade was running a diagnostic test on Gamabunta; he had severe injuries and not enough time to be healed. She gritted her teeth at her inability to help him.

" Tsunade-sama, what if we both heal him simultaneously?", Shizune asked; she was still both mentally and physically exhausted from her earlier fight.

" No, there is not enough time... We need a much more specialised treatment... We'd need thousands of doctors , each focusing on a very specific part of his body..." that's when she snapped.

" Katsuyu! We'll use Katsuyu!"

She quickly formed the handseals and called out her technique. A large white slug appeared, a blue streak on its back.

**" Hello Tsunade-san. Do you require my assistance?"** Katsuyu said as her summoner nodded.

" Katsuyu i need you to separate into tiny copies of yourself and focus the healing chakra we will provide into Gamabunta's wounds. This will take some time, so be prepared. Also , be aware of your surroundings; we are in a battlefield now."

The giant slug nodded and a part of her separated from the main body, forming many minuscule slugs that entered the toads wounds and started distributing healing chakra.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Kabuto was staring at the face of the Kyuubi, everything about the boy screamed Kyuubi; the red, slitted eyes, the elongated fangs and nails, the pronounced whisker marks and the more than usually unkempt hair. He was even standing on all fours; his chakra tail calmly moving back and forth.

The medic-nin had difficulties keeping up with him now, his speed was more than triple his normal one, his strength too. There was only one way to stop him now; to stop the fox's interference. He activated his chakra scalpels and went forward.

The blond was slowly getting the hang of this red chakra; he could instinctively point the chakra to attack a specific target or moment just with a mental command. It kind of felt like having a third hand, but in a more powerful, evil manner. He dodged the open palms of his opponent and placed a well powered punch to his gut, making him stumble. Going for the follow-up , he sensed a sting near his heart. Glancing forward to see Kabuto, nothing was there.

" Well, did you think that you were the only one able to make a kage bunshin? All it took me was a second to form one and hide underground, waiting for another one of your reckless attacks." Kabuto smirked, his hand still on Naruto's chest.  
He leaned next to him and whispered.

" I cut some of your heart's muscles, including your chakra pathways. Say goodbye to the fox's power." he said and let out a slight giggle.

It was true, Naruto could feel it; he had been cut off from the fox's power. He had mere moments to react, so he took all the chakra leaking out of him into his body and he immediately felt the sting that was caused by the medic-nin was stopping. He felt that he was physically safe now, but the connection to the fox had not been restored; he had to make due with what he had. He spread his hand's fingers again, trying to repeat his earlier success, by calling on his remaining Kyuubi chakra.

He sensed the chakra gathering on his hand, but the feeling was nothing like the attempt he made with his own chakra. He felt as if his fist was burning from the concentration of Kyuubi's chakra there, but it didn't matter; he would not waste the chance to get a clear shot at Kabuto. Forming his hand into a fist, he slammed it on the silver haired man's chest. Kabuto winced in shock at first and then in pain, as he had not noticed the blond had healed himself and gathered chakra to his hand.

He was thrown back by the blast, most of his shirt burned and his chest deeply scarred with black burn marks. Naruto looked in shock at the damage he had casued and glanced at his hand to see what that uneasy feeling was.

His whole fist was a mixture of red and black chakra that had burned his skin. It disappeared moments after that, as the Kyuubi's chakra had been completely exhausted. He fell on his knees from chakra overuse, his breathing ragged and heavy. Sparing another glance at Kabuto, he saw him standing up and forming some handseals as green chakra appeared on his hand.

" You should know that the reason Orochimaru-sama has chosen me as his subordinate is because of my extremely potent healing chakra, Naruto-kun... I can heal any injury in a matter of seconds... ", he said as he placed his hand over his wound.

The silver haired man laughed until he suddenly doubled over in pain. Naruto did not see what had happened to him but he noticed blood dripping to the ground below him. Standing up, Kabuto inspected the chakra in his hand. His eyes widened in surprise as he noticed the green healing chakra momentarily turning red before returning to its normal color.

" You ..... corrupted ....my chakra?", he said with barely contained anger. " I WILL KILL YOU, YOU DAMN FO-", he couldn't finish his sentence as he fell to the ground unconscious right in front of the blond.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Jin looked his enemy in amazement; Kimimaro had six huge bones protruding from his back, each in a different direction, his spine's bones were sticking out and he had a tail bigger than his legs in both length and width. He had also grown the bones of his forearms by one meter on each side. The older man realised his opponent had changed his attack style from close to long range, but as he saw him start seemingly attacking nothing particular, he froze. Bringing his hands up, he started going through a long series of handseals, ready to unleash one of his strongest jutsu.

Kimimaro knew his enemy was hiding something from him and he was determined to find out what. He focused his senses in an effort to sense every bit of chakra around him. Finding two chakra signatures, he ran with all his speed towards them, strengthening his bones even more. Reaching the first one, he noticed with relief that no attempt to move was made and his bone hand moved. A loud bang was heard and Kimimaro was engulfed in flames.

_'Katon Bunshin?'_ the boy was surprised, but he did not fail to notice that his opponent lost his balance again for a second, before standing up again.

_' He is using many Katon Bunshins camouflaged and with low level genjutsus surrounding them, and making them explode on impact.... But why did he lose his balance? Why did they not try to dodge my attack?'_, he thought as he moved to the last one.

_' Fuck, he knows... I have to make the handseals in time...'_. Jin appeared as calm on the outside as ever, his hands continuing to weave the necessary signs. Hearing the blast accompanied by a flash of light, he started losing his balance, falling forward. He looked forward, seeing Kimimaro heading in his direction and smirked; his hands were holding on the last handseal of the sequence; the dragon.

**" Katon : Oorashi no Ryu!"**( Fire Release: Raging Storm of the Dragon) , he said slamming his hands on the ground, stopping his fall and activating the technique; his face inches from the ground.

Six dragons made of fire erupted from the ground around Kimimaro. He instantly stopped and readied his stance, expecting a direct attack. It did not come though, as all six of the dragons began circling around him, one a bit lower from the other, forming a pillar of flame. The white haired boy knew that the attack was not at its peak yet and quickly grew his bones in an attempt to form a bone shield to protect himself. The dragons began expanding and becoming blue, then the whole form began to concentrate in the middle of the pillar.

In a swift motion, a newly created blue dragon's head formed and charged the boy, who had almost completely finished his armor; his stomach was still unprotected due to the few bones in that area. As the fire technique connected, a huge flash of light blinded everyone in the battlefield.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Orochimaru was smiling; Kabuto had fallen unconscious before the Kyuubi kid and if that explosion ahead was anything to go by, Kimimaro was out for the count too.

None of that mattered. He was Orochimaru of the Sannin and he could not lose , not to his stupid teammates, not to anyone.

But he was no fool either; he could feel that this body was starting to reject him, he could not afford to continue fighting anymore. Sensing more closely, he searched for his subordinates, and what he felt pleased him. He started running to the place where the explosion came from, Jiraiya silently following him.

Jin was on the ground, face down. As the smoke cleared, he glanced to the direction of the blast. He was mildly surprised to see the boy still standing, even though most of his bone shield had been either destroyed by the blast or melted away by the extreme heat of the blue flame. His hands were protecting his abdomen, but the brown haired man noticed some blood trailing down his bone-covered fingers.

" Tell me, why use bunshins?", Kimimaro's voice was blank, but inwardly he was curious to see the reasoning behind a technique of a shinobi that damaged him this much; he could hardly stand upstraight.

Jin only smirked as he picked one side of the white cloth covering his left foot and pulled it. The boy's eyes widened.

" A wooden leg?". The leg resembled the human leg extremely well, to a point where everything but the color was shaped like an average man's leg.

" A reinforced puppet- style wooden leg." Jin answered, " A little trick i picked up in Suna after some careful 'observations'. The bunshins are used to move it using chakra strings. Unfortunately, i am not nearly as skilled as a puppet master, so i need a whole bunshin to move just my one leg."

Before any of them had a chance to talk even further, the Snake Sannin appeared next to his minion, while Jiraiya next to his apprentice. Jin could see that his sensei was at his limits; never before had he seen him so exhausted.

Looking at his fellow Sannin , Orochimaru spoke, " Kimimaro-kun, take Kabuto and prepare to leave". As Kimimaro bowed and shunshined away, the snake-like man spoke again. " We will continue this another time Jiraiya.... this is only a small setback to me.... I have all eternity to complete my goals, unlike all of you."

Kimimaro reappeared next to his master with Kabuto over his shoulder and spoke " What about Tsunade-san? Will we not take her with us Orochimaru-Sama?"

" It does not matter now... It is almost time for the transition."

Nodding in understanding, Kimimaro formed a one handed handseal and melded into the ground, as did his master.

Not sensing their presence anywhere, Jiraiya allowed himself to lower his guard, as he fell to his knees from the physical exhaustion.

" You truly look like shit Sensei..."

" At least i am not face down on the mud gaki...", they both laughed a bit, and Jin used his left hand to attach some chakra strings to his legs to enable movement. Standing up, he gave a hand to the Toad Sage and they both moved towards the injured toad.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Tsunade sighed in relief; she had finished working on Gamabuta with the help of Shizune and Katsuyu and was now patching up Naruto, who Gamaken had fetched as per her request. Even though he suffered from chakra exhaustion and his chakra pathways near his heart had yet to heal properly, the blond was in good mood since he saw that Gamabunta was alright.

Jiraiya and Jin arrived shortly after, Jin supporting Jiraiya while his left hand's fingers making the neseccary movements to be able to walk properly. Naruto smiled at the fact that his sensei was alive and well, but when he looked at the one next to him, he was very surprised to recognise him.

" Hey, you're that strange ramen chef that treated me ramen last week! So i was right after all you were a ninja huh?", at that Jiraiya spoke up.

" As a matter of fact gaki, Jin was also my apprentice; he was in the same genin team as the Fourth Hokage too!"

Naruto was in shock;_' A fellow pupil and a teammate of the Fourth Hokage? How did end up becoming a ramen chef then? It is obs-'_, his train of thought was interrupted as Jiraiya was by now sitting next to him and banged his head.

" I met Jin right after your meeting; imagine my surprise when he clearly numbered each and every one of your abilities! How could you be so careless? He could have been Orochimaru's spy for Kami's sake!" Jiraiya yelled.

" But is was good ramen...", the blond muttered under his breath, " ... bad people can't be ramen chefs..". Jin and Shizune laughed at the boy's antics , while Tsunade looked at the interaction between Jiraiya and hos student with a fond smile.

Putting her hands behind her neck, the blond woman removed her necklace and left it inside Naruto's palm. Everyone was shocked by her gesture so she went on to explain.

" When you talked to me, i saw the necklace point at you and glow brightly... I am sure now that Nawaki and Dan wanted to show me to believe in you... So i do. I will come with you and become the next Hokage."

Jiraiya winced at her explanation; he had sensed his pupil release Kyuubi's chakra during the fight and what Tsunade witnessed was most likely the Shodaime's chakra resonating in an attempt to suppress the Bijuu's power. If Tsunade was willing to become the Hokage believing in some metaphysical explanation,however, he wasn't going to let her know the truth. Besides, he truly thought that this kind of confirmation was something that his female teammate desperately needed.

Turning his attention to the two toads that were standing nearby, Jiraiya saw his older pupil talk to Gamaken and he along with the others listened to their conversation.

" Thanks for helping out today, Ken-san."

**" It was a pleasure to be of service even if i am clumsy, Jin-san.... Besides, i owe you a big debt..."**

Jin smiled faintly. " You don't owe me anything... And i can't believe you still carry that thing around, on your head no less."

**" It is to remind me to be less clumsy, Jin-San."**

Jin nodded. " I understand. I might summon you in the future again if the situation calls for it, is that ok?"

**" Of course. I have always been your pesonal summon, after all. " **, Gamaken said proudly as the brown haired man nodded again, satisfied with the answer.

**" Gamaken, Gamakichi, we should go. I really need a good rest. And gaki, the next time you summon me , it better be to have a drink!"**, the oldest of the three toads said and Naruto rubbed the back of his head smiling sheepisly at the Boss' antics. All three disappeared in a puff of smoke.

" We all should get some rest. Let's head back to town for now, and we begin the journey to Konoha tomorrow.", said Tsunade, to which everyone nodded, especially Naruto, who couldn't wait to tax in that free ramen the Ichirakus' had promised him.

o---o

o---o

**Author's Notes**

Thanks for reading the fourth chapter of Naruto: A Tale of Determination, i hope you enjoyed it.

Any feedback concerning the fight would be greatly appreciated. The credit for Jin's fire techniques goes to VynosNeptune, while the last one's description was my own along with a fitting name from his list! To all those interested in seeing the listed techniques, check my favourites list.

About Tsunade's necklace, it will be fully explained in later chapters, but i can say now that can help suppress the power Naruto draws from Kyuubi in a slightly different way than canon. Tsunade's reasoning and experience during Naruto's talk was made like this to show that desperate people will cling to anything and put a metaphysical meaning to something just to feel better themselves.

Let me know how you liked Jin's fighting style; i always liked Katon jutsus and lately they are rarely seen, as Sasuke, who was the primary user in part I, has moved on to Enton and Susanoo....

Also , i wanted to inform everyone that in this story Kimimaro is about as old as Kabuto (17 years old), so he is much stronger than the canon one.

Next chapter: The return to the village!


	5. Godaime Hokage

**DISCLAIMER**

**I do not own the anime or manga Naruto in any way, shape or form!**

**A Few Words**

A thank you to everyone that read this story so far, a bigger to those that added it to their Fav's or Alerts list, and the biggest yet to those that took the time to review: deltabeta26, untold62

For the answer:

deltabeta26: Glad you liked it, but i want you to remember that the one handed Rasengan Naruto used at first was half the size of his canon one ( think the size of Konohamaru's against Pain). Also, the Kyuubi chakra infused punch was something spontaneous, like putting all your remaining strength into one last attack, i am fairly sure he didn't expect things to turn out the way they did! It's good to know Jin's somewhat special fighting style was appreciated! Of course, like all shinobi, he too has to keep a trump card hidden until the end, right?

untold62: Thank you for your compliments! I must say i am also looking forward to the next chapter of your story, ' A story of a lifetime'!

Moving to the 5th chapter of NAToD( Naruto: A Tale of Determination )

**Chapter 5: Godaime Hokage**

Tsunade, Shizune, Jiraiya and Jin were inside the bar the two Sannin had their first reunion in years, sitting at the exact same table. Naruto was sleeping at a room Jiraiya had booked for the night. Jiraiya and Tsunade were telling stories about their adventures during the years they had not seeing each other, much to their apprentices' boredom; Tsunade's stories mainly consisted of her 'truly inspired', as she characterized them, attempts at avoiding loan sharks, while Jiraiya's were mostly about his adventures of questionable nature. Wanting to shift their attention to more important matters, Jin interrupted:" I have to admit that you have quite a disturbing sense of humor, booking a room in an inn named Akatsuki.... There were at least two other hotels in the same block."

" And the funny part is that i paid using his money!", the Toad Sannin laughed loudly while rubbing his chin as Jin just sighed and drank the rest of his sake. " You will never change Sensei...". Noticing Tsunade's and Shizune's confused looks, he added. " Jiraiya-Sensei, i think you need to explain the situation to your new Hokage...".

The white haired man's face turned serious, nothing could betray the fact that he was laughing mere moments ago. " Akatsuki is an organisation of S-class missing-nins; so far i have discovered through my spy network that they started with ten members, Orochimaru included. They have begun making their move, gathering techniques and information regarding the Tailed Beasts. I don't know the exact reason behind it, but i am sure that they will search Konoha soon, so i have already alerted some of my most trusted men to gather more intelligence. I will get the reports when we get back to the village.

" But Naruto was well within their grasp today, why did they not try to take him?", the female Sannin asked more confused than before. This time it was Jin who answered.

" Orochimaru left Akatsuki for unknown reasons, so they are currently down to nine members."

Tsunade looked at the brown haired man suspiciously before turning to Jiraiya, who just nodded. Jin just gave her a bitter smile and added, " Old habits die hard, don't they , Tsunade-sama?"Receiving no answer, he stood up and took his crutch for support. At this, Shizune asked," Why do you use this when you can move perfectly fine with the puppet leg?". Jin grinned.

"Deception and preconception!" was his only answer, " It was a pleasure to meet you Shizune-san... Take care of Jiraiya-sensei Tsunade-sama."

Seeing his former pupil leave, Jiraiya tried to convince him to return with them. " Say Jin, why don't you tag along? Konoha has changed since your last visit... I'm fairly sure you can find some girl action, there never is enough inspiration!"

" You know i can't do that Jiraiya-san, not yet at least..." , he said as he unconsciously scratched his left hand," too many bad memories.... Say goodbye to Naruto-kun on my behalf sensei.", Jin walked outside the bar under the sad gaze of his sensei.

o---o

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o---o

-THE NEXT DAY, ON THE ROAD TO KONOHA-

" I can't believe he left without waking me up... I had so many questions about the Fourth.... i wonder what he was like when he was a genin....", Naruto had been mumbling since they left Tanzaku city and Tsunade was at her limits now.

"Oh for Kami's sake Jiraiya, can't you take a hint? Tell him something to make him stop or you will have one less student from now on!", the blond Sannin said, as Shizune quickly apologised on her behalf.

The white haired man sighed; he could not avoid this. " Ok gaki, i will answer one question about him, whichever that may be if you promise to never ask me again.". Those conditions made the boy complain a bit, but seeing his sensei dead set on not changing his conditions, he quieted down to think about his question. After some moments of silence, he spoke up.

" Do you think i will be a better Hokage than him ? Can i surpass him?". Jiraiya smiled fondly and nodded " Only if you try your hardest though; he was the best Hokage to date after all!"

" What are you implying Jiraiya?" he heard a threatening voice behind him and laughed nervously. " Sorry Tsunade , but i can't lie to the kid. Besides, i can honestly say you are the better looking of them all if it's any consolation. I mean, look at those bo-", the perverted sage's head hit the floor from the force of the current Hokage's punch.

Paying no mind to his companions' antics, Naruto was thinking about Jiraiya's answer; _' A better Hokage than the Fourth...'_, a smile graced his lips as he tightened his fists.

Naruto and company had been travelling for three days and at their current pace, they would arrive at Konoha in another three; Tsunade, wanting to postpone the inevitable responsibilities that accompany the Hokage's position, had insisted to walk in a leisurely pace. She would never admit her true reason , pointing out Shizune's condition would not allow her to go any faster.

Naruto's mind was still on the conversation that took place when they camped for the night on the first day of their trip.

_Naruto was sleeping inside the tent; He woke up to the sounds of a conversation between a man's and a woman's voices. He was about to complain about the noise, but he caught a name that intrigued him and decided to listen._

_" You can't trust that man Jiraiya! You know who he is!" said the woman's voice he now identified as Tsunade._

_" I trust him because i know exactly who he is! Jin is my student, i have known him since before he became a genin; I saw him change from a strictly disciplined, emotionless child into a cheerful young man and then..."_

_" This ' and then ' part of yours is the most important one Jiraiya! Who knows what Jin promised that man to get it, especially if you think about the connection between them..."_

_" We and that man are on the same side, Tsunade!", the Toad Sannin almost yelled. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke in a calmer voice. " We cannot start questioning our allies now... Not when nine missing nins of Orochimaru's caliber are going around the world preparing for something we have no idea of.... This conversation ends here.... I don't want to hear any of this from your mouth again without something to actually back it up." _

_Naruto could actually feel his sensei's gaze upon him even before he was addressed." You should not eavesdrop Naruto, not on your Hokage's conversations anyway.... Get back to sleep."_

_Naruto did not dare argue with the older man._

The blond turned his head to his left where Tsunade was talking with Shizune. Unable to find a good way to start a conversation, he cut straight to the chase.

" Why do you not trust Jin Tsunade-baachan? He helped us just a few days ago!" Tsunade looked at him with an annoyed look; she was not happy this had been brought up. She was not the one to answer, however, as Jiraiya intervened.

" This does not concern you Naruto. The conversation you heard was a conversation between the Hokage and a high ranking Konoha shinobi. Genin are not to know about them, because it is not their place! And i mean this." he looked back at his apprentice with a serious face.

Sighing again, he added " Don't be impatient. When you become the Hokage you will have your fair share of shinobi problems to solve, but until then...", he trailed off with a faint smile on his face as he completed the phrase in his mind: '_be innocent...'_

o---o

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-THREE DAYS LATER, NOON_-_

Naruto smiled widely at the sight of his village's gates; he was almost home. Tsunade, despite her reluctance early on , could not help but feel a warm feeling overtaking all others; she was in the right place, protecting Konoha as the Hokage, in honor of her loved ones' memory.

Minutes later, they were passing the main gates under the respectful looks of villagers and shinobi alike. Some bowed to the two Sannin, while many younger kunoichi stopped them along the way to talk to the female Sannin, expressing their wish to become as strong as her or to ask to be apprenticed by their idol. Noticing the sign of his favourite ramen bar, Naruto hastily said his goodbyes to his three companions and went his separate way. Upon reaching the entrance, he made his presence known to every customer. " Ayame-neechan! Teuchi-ossan! I'm back!"

Looking around for his favourite stool, he noticed a familiar man with a characteristic scar on his nose signaling him to sit next to him, and the blond happily complied.

" Welcome back Naruto, how was your trip?" asked one Umino Iruka, the boy's academy teacher with a warm smile.

After ordering his regular dish combo, which was on the house, Naruto proceeded to tell the story of his trip with Jiraiya, his mastery of the Fourth's jutsu and the fight between the Sannin, with a reasonable amount of exaggeration, of course. By the end of his story, Iruka and the owners of the stand were looking at him in disbelief; the first one to recover was Ayame, who simply said " Well, i guess you got a lot stronger after all....I am just glad that you are ok. You shouldn't push yourself too much Naruto-kun.". Iruka and Teuchi nodded at that.

Naruto was finally at home. It did was not meant to last long however.

Iruka was thoughtful for some moments and his face darkened before speaking up." Naruto, i don't think you have been informed but.... Sasuke and Kakashi-san are in Hospital"; At the boy's shocked look, he added." We don't know what happened, the Hokage has let out no kind of information about it... It seems though that two other jounin sensei were involved somehow."

" I see... I have to go check up on them! I am sure Baachan can heal them in no time, so don't worry Iruka-sensei!", Naruto said, mostly to calm himself though, before standing up and heading to the Konoha Hospital.

o---o

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-SHORTLY ATER, KONOHA HOSPITAL-

Naruto was about to ask at the counter for Kakashi's and Sasuke's rooms, when he spotted his female teammate holding some files and moving from one room to the other. Wasting no time, he followed her. " Sakura!"

The pink haired girl turned to see a grin she had come to instantly recognise. With a sad smile she answered " Welcome back, Naruto.... I see you learned about Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun."

The blond nodded furiously, " Where are they? What happened?"

Looking around, Sakura spoke to one of her coworkers" I'm taking a break..." , while she grabbed Naruto's hand and led him to the room their teammates were at.

Once in there, she closed the door and said;" Sasuke-kun's brother came here hours after you left. Kakashi-sensei along with two more Jounin-senseis fought with him and his teammate. From what i heard, Sasuke was just at the wrong place at the wrong time..."; Naruto gritted his teeth, as she continued. " Sasuke-kun's brother cast a very high level genjutsu on both of them... Since then they haven woken up, even though we tried our best."

" We? " Naruto could not help asking; the conversation she had earlier was also confusing to him.

" I have decided to become a medical-nin... I have already learned some low and mid level healing jutsus, but still...", she paused, looking at Sasuke " It is not enough... It never is for me to make any difference...."

_' Sakura....Becoming a medical ninja to help Sasuke...She really loves him...'_, the blond thought as a bitter smile formed on his face.

" Don't worry Sakura! Sasuke will be fine, i know he is because Baachan is here! She is the best doctor in the world, she can heal everything!", he suddenly spoke up, replacing his bitter smile with a goofy one to make her smile.

"Who is that Baachan? What are you talking about?", she asked, not daring to let hope overtake her.

" Tsunade-baachan, Ero-Sennin's teammate! We have been looking for her all this time, that's why we left!" , he said proudly.

" You mean Tsunade-_Sama_ of the Sannin?", her eyes began to water, but she smiled nonetheless" If there's anyone that can help them , she can... Let's go find her" the girl said, running to the room's door before coming to an abrupt stop; Turning to look back at her teammate, she whispered slowly.

" Thank you... Naruto."

During the following week Tsunade had completed successfully Rock Lee's treatment, who was by now almost done with his rehabilitation, and had been working on Kakashi and Sasuke, expecting to see them wake up in a few more days.

Naruto had been spending his time between the training grounds and the Ichiraku's, checking up on his teammates every day.A few days later, the first one to wake from the comatose state was Sasuke, much to everyone's but Tsunade's surprise, who knew the seal on his shoulder had more than something to do with his recovery.

After hearing the news, the blond entered the room to see a completely awake Sasuke being examined by the Sannin, and Sakura a bit further scribbling something on her notebook. He cheerfully greeted them with a smile before turning to his friend.

" Sasuke-teme, finally you decide to wake up! Things were getting boring here with no missions!"

Sasuke did not answer; It was Tsunade who spoke up" Okay, get some rest; I will return once i'm done with the patients in wing C." . As she left, the raven haired boy looked at his teammate with intensity, the atmosphere around them becoming heavy. _' If it weren't for the one you call Dobe, you might have never woken up...._', he heard a voice whisper in his mind. At his lack of answer , the whispering voice continued ' _Is he the one to call the weakest man in this room?'_

The boy gritted his teeth as he remembered the exact words his brother had drilled into his mind at their last encounter during his time in Tsukuyomi; _' You are weak Sasuke... You will never be a match for me.... If you are so half hearted about this , you should give up... You are not even worth these three seconds i am spending on you...'_

_" _Naruto.... I want to fight you."

o---o

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-A FEW DAYS BEFORE, UNKNOWN LOCATION-

A weakened Orochimaru was looking at his subordinates' eager faces. On his left side was Kimimaro, looking at his team with a blank stare . Although called the Sound Five by others , Kimimaro did not feel any sense of camaraderie with those trash ninja; they could not even help him succeed during the Invasion.

" The fruit has matured enough; It is time to pick out of the tree. Go , Sound Four; Bring me the Uchiha as proof of your skill and loyalty!" Immediately responding, all four of them left after saluting him.

" Still angry with them Kimimaro-kun for failing during the Invasion? Or could it be that you are angry towards me for insisting you remain where we killed the Kazekage to secure the Sand's cooperation?"

" I would never bear any ill will against you , Orochimaru-Sama... I merely wanted to make myself useful.". The Snake Sannin smiled widely and said " Come Kimimaro-kun, i want to talk to Kabuto."

Standing up, Orochimaru ordered his subordinate to follow him as they made their way to the lab.

" Kabuto-san has not recovered from the Kyuubi's blow yet... His chakra is still flaring unexpectedly...", said the white haired boy in thought.

His master nodded " The power of the Kyuubi.... is a true poison. That boy has become immune over the years, but to someone else, coming into contact with such a high concentration of the beast's chakra is usually lethal. Kabuto is lucky to be alive, but the damage is done; His chakra coils have been infected by Kyuubi; all the chakra that passes though them is also infected. He will not be able to heal in his life."

Kimimaro looked surprised" But Orochimaru-Sama, without his medical chakra he cannot prevent your body's deterioration! If this continues, you will not be able to procure the Uchiha as your next vessel in time!"

They had by now entered a room inside the lab. Ushering Kimimaro in , Orochimaru closed the door shut.

" Quite right as ever , Kimimaro-kun... Tell me... What you propose?" Orochimaru said , a face splitting smile on his face.

Inside the control room in the lab, Kabuto looked at the whole scene taking place; He saw Orochimaru show his true body and forcibly enter the boy's mouth who couldn't even cry in pain, as he was gagged.

A sadistic smile adorned his face, and as the light slowly left Kimimaro's eyes, he let out a giggle.

Naruto stared at his current opponent; In front of him was standing Uchiha Sasuke, his eyes blazing with his two tomoe sharingan. Everything around them had been burned by his fire techniques ; multiple clones were surrounding Naruto, ready to support him either in offence or defence. Sending half of them against Sasuke, he waited for an opportunity to substitute with one right before he dealt a blow.

Sasuke had just dodged and countered one of the Narutos , only to discover that he did not disappear. Grabbing a kunai, he sliced down aiming at his left hand. Another clone went in the way, sacrificing his existence for his master's safety, who in response punched the raven haired boy in the stomach. While feeling the pain, Sasuke heard the same voice that had been goading him the whole time... _' Pathetic....'_.

Jumping up, he made the seals for the first fire technique he ever learned. Pumping as much chakra as he could spare into his lungs, he shouted.

**" Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"**

The fireball covered the whole roof; all of Naruto's clones were destroyed, the original one had balanced himself on the surrounding fence.

_' How dare he mock you? How dare he even challenge you, an Uchiha... No the only Uchiha.... because everyone else was killed...'_. Sasuke's brows lowered in anger now.

_' killed.......Killed.....Kill....**KILL HIM**_!' the voice now screamed, sensing the boy's anger had taken over.

Rapidly making some handseals, he heard the lightning crackling in his palm.

" What are you doing Sasuke? " Sakura shouted as she ran towards him, but he had already sped up , aiming at Naruto.

Seeing the conviction in Sasuke's eyes, Naruto knew he was serious. Summoning a shadow clone, he prepared a full power Rasengan to defend himself. Jumping up, he met his attack head on.

**" CHIDORI!"**

**"RASENGAN!"**

The two attacks collided, causing a blast of wind that blew Sakura to the ground.

' What are you doing Sasuke....?'. Naruto thought of the times they had shared as a team; How he had protected him from Haku, how he had acknowledged him during the Chuunin exams... Offering to distract Gaara to save him and Sakura...He could not do it... He could not attack him with the intent to kill.

He felt the right side of his chest go numb; warm liquid make its way down to his lower abdomen.

He had lost that battle of wills.

Sakura could not believe what she was witnessing; her teammates had tried to kill each other and one might have actually succeeded in doing that.

Sasuke's eyes were wide open by the action he had just committed. Had he not been so stunned, he would have heard the loud laughter inside his head. As he pulled his hand out of Naruto, Sakura was next to them. Not waiting to assess the damage, she started forming handseals, green chakra materialising around both her hands. Quickly placing her hand over the wounds, she started healing the most critical spots." Hang on Naruto, you're going to be fine!" she said in a trembling voice.

Sasuke was looking at his left hand, coated in the blood of his teammate. _' Yes... One day this will be the blood of your brother.... But you must come to me, Sasuke-kun....'_

" Sasuke-kun , snap out of it!", he heard Sakura screaming. " I can't sustain him for long, you have to find Tsunade -Sama now!"

He sped down inside, only to notice his vision was much more clear; he could detect movements much more easily. Putting it in the back of his mind, he searched for Tsunade's chakra signature.

Spotting her, he yelled " Wait!" , The woman turned around , already identyfying him from his voice, " Uchiha, i told you to..." She saw the blood in his hand and her brows lowered in anger.

The female Sannin had just stabilised Naruto, who was now unconscious; He was out of danger and would recover shortly, if the small amount of red chakra surrounding his wound was any indicator.

" Good job Sakura, i am amazed you managed to keep him alive as long as you did." Sakura nodded slowly; had it not been this situation , she would have celebrated thoroughly to receive such praise.

"Now tell me exactly what happened here; Do not dare to leave anything out for your sake", she laced her last words with a small amount of killing intent.

_" YOU USED AN ASSASSINATION TECHNIQUE AGAINST A SHINOBI OF THE LEAF?!"_ Tsunade couldn't believe what she was hearing._ 'How could they both be so irresponsible?'_

Calming down a bit, she reached a decision; She would make it a point that these kind of behaviours would not be tolerated. " Go to your room and rest. I will think of an appropriate punishment later, but remember.... if i have my way , the highest rank jutsu you will ever learn here is D..." She turned her head to face Sakura." Inform Naruto when he wakes up that he is not off the hook either; Countering an assassination jutsu with a more powerful one is not something to be overlooked, no matter the circumstances."

_'A more powerful one? If he had wanted to kill me, would i be laying there instead of him? I was at his MERCY?'_

Later, he would acknowledge that it was that last phrase that made him follow the path he did_, the phrase that had shaped his whole life._

o---o

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**Author's Notes**

I hope you enjoyed the last chapter of NAToD( Naruto: A Tale of Determination)

I went ahead and published this chapter ahead of schedule , as it was more of an explanatory chapter, connecting the the arcs. To be honest, i would have personally considered waiting one week for a "filler" chapter kind of a scam, wouldn't you? Anyway , i hope you like the scenes you read and would really like any comments you might have concerning my writing style, plot points, etc.

Thanks again for reading this far!

**A Small Rant!**

I recently read some stories here in which surprised me. The authors consider them action/adventure stories and even keep to the original story quite a lot, BUT they name their characters in Western names, for example:

""Team seven consisted of Naruto Uzumaki, Haruno Sakura and **Elisabeth** Uchiha, the twin sister of the Rookie of the Year, Uchiha Sasuke.""( Just thought out, not taken from a story, although very similar examples are out there)

I can understand that they want characters to be more in sync with their culture, but in my humble opinion it really ruins immersion, literary bringing the 4th wall down on your head. I am not Japanese by a long shot, but being Greek, i don't think naming my oc Aristotle would be fitting. This refers to adventure /action stories, not humour/parody/fun stories etc.


	6. Sasuke's Choice

**DISCLAIMER**

**I do not own the anime or manga Naruto in any way, shape or form!**

**A Few Words**

A thank you to everyone that read this story so far, a bigger to those that added it to their Fav's or Alerts list, and the biggest yet to those that took the time to review: deltabeta26, redxdragon, Ayje, ArashiKage Naruto, schnookums, untold 62.

For the answers:

deltabeta26: Yep, last chapter was full of twists, right? Well, i hope you liked it! I have one thing to say regarding this fic: I am not the type of writer to write something only for shock value; Everything will be pieced together at some point, i only hope it will be in a way you all enjoy and don't expect!

redxdragon: Concerning your review of the 4th chapter: Well, in this story Kimimaro and Kabuto fought for the second place, which i like to believe came out to the readers with Kimimaro's talk to Kabuto when he defended him, and also Kabuto's enjoyment of watching his rival get out of the way once and for all! And, as i said in another answer, Kabuto is a good boy! And good boys put up a fight first!... To be honest, Naruto was truly mentally exhausted at the time to focus completely on his clones' attacks; Remember he had already used Kyuubi's chakra once again to summon Gamabunta, formed a small one handed Rasengan, he saw Gamabunta being practically impaled ....and he's twelve with less than a year's shinobi experience! I think he did a pretty good job! Besides, the way the fight ended set an interesting chain of events in motion, don't you agree?

About the Chapter 5 review: I guess you will have to wait a little bit more for that but i can tell you that more than one things are going on with Jin... Although i am planning to reveal **something** about him in the next few chapters.... Now THAT will be a twist, trust me! Also , i think it's important that even main characters sometimes fail; A failure once in a while makes success worthwhile in my opinion. To your comment regarding Sasuke, like i said above, everything is done for a purpose! As for your rant, i agree with you, even though i would really have liked it if the summary limit was a bit bigger than it currently is... Some plots just can't fit in two sentences!

Ayje: It's good to know I'm not the only one thinking that! I can't believe enough people read them so that by the 5th chapter they have over a hundred reviews! On the other hand, i wouldn't want so many if half of them were outright flaming, so i guess we're even!

ArashiKage Naruto: Thanks!

schnookums: Glad you like my story! I want to thank you for bringing the mistakes to my attention, i always read them carefully once before publishing them, but some small ones like the one you mentioned are easy to miss. Unfortunately i can't comment on the pairing without spoiling anything. Naturally, even though i think everyone here understands it, family and obligations come before fanfiction! Even so, i would really like to hear what you think when you read them, if you want to say of course!

untold62:It's good to hear that you liked chapter 6! About the punishment , you are about to find out! The last phrase.... Well, you will find out about that too!....Eventually!

Also, if anyone is interested in taking up a challenge, check my profile out for an AR Naruto fic i think you might enjoy if you like this story! Also , if you have read anything similar, please Inform me which, i would be very interested in reading it!

Moving on to the 6th chapter of NAToD( Naruto: A Tale of Determination)!

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**Chapter 6: Sasuke's Choice**

Uchiha Sasuke was still in his room in the hospital, resting on his bed, his eyes focused on his left hand; He had washed it many times since yesterday morning, but he could see the blood even now.... More so now. Curious about the clear vision during his search for Tsunade, he had activated his Sharingan in front of the mirror; What he saw did not surprise him; both his eyes had one extra tomoe around the pupils. He had become stronger, one step closer to reaching his goals. One step closer towards meeting that man eye to eye.

Turning his face to his roommate, he saw Hatake Kakashi in a state resembling deep sleep. Finally seeing his face, he smirked a bit... _' So that is why he wears a mask all the time....'_. The three members of team 7 used to speculate about the face behind the mask during their missions, but no matter what they said, getting a reaction that would betray the truth from their Jounin-sensei was more likely to happen than Itachi coming back to Konoha peacefully...The mere thought of his brother completely wiped out the faint traces of a smile he previously had.

_' Itachi......'_ . He gritted his teeth and looked to the distance; The morning sun was shining brightly.

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- KONOHA HOSPITAL, NOON-

Naruto woke up to a terrible headache; he had a really bad nightmare. It had actually started as a dream, with Sasuke acknowledging his abilities and challenging him to a spar. _'The way it ended however...'_ he trailed off as his hand touched his chest. Feeling the unfamiliar texture of the cloth he touched, he looked at his surroundings more closely; Shocked he was inside the hospital, he removed the cloth and touched his bare chest.

His eyes widened in realisation,as he could still feel the faint scar remaining. Only one thing troubled his mind.

_'Why.....?'_

His thoughts were interrupted by the knock on his door. The blond was surprised to see Ayame with a big metal box he knew was for deliveries smiling at him.

" Hello, Naruto-kun, Tsunade-sama told us that you were recovering from some severe overnight training so i decided to drop by and bring you something to eat!" Naruto's frown disappeared as the smell of his favourite food entered his nostrils. Smiling a bit he added.

" Hmmm let's see... Three miso, two tonkotsu and ...one shio.. Right?" Ayame giggled; " It's actually two shoyu ramen instead of a shio, Naruto-kun... You should not eat salty foods so much you know...."

The boy grinned as he was given the first bowl by his friend; chopsticks at hand , he attacked mercilessly, managing to surprise even his spectator, who saw him eat everyday no less.

" Are you sure Teuchi-ossan isn't going to scold you for being late?", he said two bowls later.

" My father can handle the shop for a bit; Besides, you're about the only customer that eats daily at Ichiraku's , if we don't take special care of you , who will?" She said with a soft smile.

Naruto did not answer but continued to eat albeit in a slower pace, his ramen seeming somehow even more tastier than before.

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-MEANWHILE, HOKAGE'S TOWER-

The Fifth Hokage sat on a comfortable green couch, her legs crossed; Directly in front of her sat her two elder advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokato Homura; Next to them stood another one of the most prominent members of the council, the one she identified as Shimura Danzo. Wanting to end this quickly, she spoke up.

" I want to talk about the punishment of two Leaf shinobi, Uzumaki Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha." All three looked at her with surprise, but only Koharu answered.

" You summoned us here to decide the punishment of two genin Hokage-sama? Do you think so little of our duties to this village that you concern us with this incident?"

" They attacked each other using A rank class assassination jutsus. One of them was critically injured and is recovering as we speak.". The two advisors were shocked; They had known about the Uchiha using the Chidori, but the fact that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki could use a jutsu that could challenge its power was a mighty surprise. Danzo ,on the other hand, showed no emotion at all, which unnerved Tsunade a bit; That meant he either knew already or he managed to hide his emotions perfectly. Both were just as likely to be truth.

" It seems both of them are gifted, i don't think we should waste their talent ... What do you propose?", said Homura in a calm voice. Tsunade thought for a moment, knowing that once she said what she had in mind , there would be no going back.

" I think we should seal their chakra for some years: Five for the Uchiha since he was the one to attack first and the one who damaged his opponent, and two years for Naruto, for responding with a similar jutsu and attacking head on.".

" With all due respect, Hokage-sama, your knowledge in the art of sealing is lacking.... I tell you this as a seal expert: Using a chakra sealing seal on the Kyuubi's vessel could have very unfortunate effects, because we know nothing of the seal holding the Kyuubi in place... If it even momentarily disrupts the Fourth's seal, be sure that Kyuubi will be unleashed in Konoha." Danzo intervened in a mildly disrespectful tone.

_' Of course, how could i have overlooked this... I have made a fool of myself...'_ , she thought as her brows lowered a bit, showing her anger and frustration.

" I think that Homura-dono and Danzo-dono will agree with me on this: You should seal the Uchiha's chakra for five years and have the Uzumaki off the active shinobi roster for six years; This way the Uchiha will still be considered a shinobi, be assigned low D level missions, while Uzumaki will be confiscated of his headband and forbidden from using any of the shinobi training grounds.", the elder woman offered and the other elders nodded slowly.

Satisfied with the answer, Tsunade nodded; Even though she hated to do this to the boy that made her accept this position, it was the only fair thing to do considering the circumstances.

Naruto was sitting on his hospital bed; Ayame had ended up staying with him for two hours before realising that she had been extremely late for work, quickly wishing him to be released soon before storming off.

Being confined to his bed, the blond decided to make the best out of his spare time; Practice his favourite technique. He had been trying to perfect his one handed Rasengan all this time but it wasn't easy at all, it was still too difficult to form a full power one with just his one hand; Every time he tried, it would quickly spin out of his control. His efforts were not completely wasted though; He tried repeating what he had so far accomplished.

Imagining a cage to contain the chakra in the perfect shape, he used both his hands, one palm facing the sky and the other the ground, with his fingers acting as the bars. Using his fingers to give ten different rotations, the familiar blue chakra sphere materialised before his eyes. This two-handed Rasengan was almost as powerful as his Kage bunshin assisted one, but he knew its usefulness was limited; In close quarters combat he could not afford to bring his hands together for as long as the technique required, and if he was far enough to form it , he could just as well summon a Kage bushin to create his strongest variant.

All in all, he treated this technique for what it was; a stepping stone to using the jutsu just like his perverted teacher had.

Yet another knock interrupted his thoughts. Cancelling the technique, the saw an angry Tsunade followed by a heartbroken Sakura. Worried, he was about to speak up but the female member of the Sannin was faster.

" I have come here to inform you of your punishment. As you very well understand, what happened on the roof was an attempt to murder on both of your parts. As such, you are as of now suspended from the active Konoha shinobi force. This punishment will last for six years, during which you are to be stripped of all your ninja privileges, including the use of the training grounds and carrying weapons.", she said in an emotionless voice. Noticing his headband nearby, she took it. Naruto , who had been looking at her dumbfounded, now tried to protest, but Tsunade glared at him, simultaneously releasing some killing intent, stopping him.

" I will confiscate this. It will be returned to you in six years' time..... I promise i will take good care of it.", the blond woman said, the last sentence barely audible.

He just kept looking at her, unable to form any sentence; Sakura looked at him sadly.

" What about Sasuke?", he finally asked calmly.

" Sasuke's chakra is to be sealed for five years. He will remain a shinobi in rank but will only be assigned low D level missions. Such is the price of attacking a fellow shinobi of the Leaf.".

"What are you talking about? He just gets his chakra 'sealed', and what does that mean exactly? Why don't i get to continue being a shinobi too? Why can't i use the training grounds while he can? Why can't i wear the headband Iruka-sensei gave me?!", he almost yelled angrily now. Sakura answered in place of the Hokage.

" Having your chakra sealed means exactly what it implies..... It completely prevents conscious control of your chakra reserves and its molding..... Sasuke will not be able to use any ninjutsu or genjutsu techniques as long as he has it... Only non-chakra enhanced taijutsu.". Tsunade nodded at the explanation and continued.

" You ,on the other hand, will have access to all your abilities.... Also, you are forbidden to use the shinobi training grounds, not to train. Do you understand now whose punishment is more severe?". A slow nod was all the answer she needed and that was what she got.

Turning to face the exit she only added, " I am glad that you see reason.... Your punishment is now in effect. Your teammate's sealing will take place two days from now.", the older woman said as she reached the exit, Sakura following her after giving the blond boy a last look, her despair and sorrow for her teammates obvious.

o---o

o---o

o---o

- A FEW HOURS LATER-

Sakura was tired.

She had been working since morning non-stop; She did not dare to stop and rest, because her exhaustion was the only thing keeping her mind distracted from her team's current condition, but it was inevitable. As she took a seat, those thoughts took over her mind.

She had visited them both alone after the visit with the Hokage to check up on them. Seeing Sasuke even more silent than usual was like a stab to hear heart , but to see the usually hyperactive and childish Naruto acting in a similar way was truly disturbing. A bitter smile formed on her face as she remembered wishing Naruto would stop acting the way he did during their first missions, because now that her wish had come true, she couldn't help regretting making it.

She was one of the few members of the staff still there and the only one whose shift had ended. Deciding to get some sleep, she stood up and made her way out of the building. As she was about to take the road to her house, she noticed a person about her height with a blue and white outfit she recognised walking the opposite direction. Her eyes widened in surprise. _' Sasuke-kun.... What are you doing?'_ was her only question on her mind as she followed him, trying to hide her presence from him.

A few minutes later , Sasuke entered his apartment and Sakura decided to make her appearance. Jumping next to him , she immediately asked in a voice that betrayed her hesitation. " What are you doing here Sasuke-kun? You should be resting in hospital, your body is not yet strong enough to g-"

" Finally you decide to show yourself Sakura, i was getting tired of pretending not to notice you..... You truly are useless". The pink haired girl's eyes watered immediately; She could take any insult but that.

Sasuke picked up some sets of kunai and shurikens and started preparing his pouch and shuriken holster as he spoke again." I am leaving Konoha; I have no reason to stay here if i can't even trai my techniques; I cannot allow Itachi to grow stronger while i remain here, sealed and left playing ninja."

" But Sasuke-kun, you have many reasons to stay.... I know it because i saw you smiling Sasuke-kun! I saw you being happy when team Seven was sent on missions, faintly grinning at Naruto's antics when you thought no one was seeing you, but...", She hesitated even more, but persevered nonetheless.

" I have always watched you Sasuke-kun! Because for me there is noboby else to watch, just you! And that is because ...", Sasuke had finished putting his weapons in place and was fitting the pouch and holster on his waist and leg respectively.

"I ....Lo-" She could not finish her sentence as she felt a sharp pain on her neck and her eyes began closing, giving in to the darkness.

Sasuke moved to the door, but he could not leave for some reason; He saw the unconscious body of his teammate laying face down on the floor.

"Tsk" was the only sound he made, before putting his arms around her, lifting her up. A few steps later, the boy reached his bed and carefully placed her on it before shunshining away.

Sasuke was standing in front of Konoha's main gate. His slow but decisive steps were the only noice heard in the vicinity. Finally, he could be strong enough to accomplish his goal; to fulfill his duty to each and every Uchiha slaughtered by the traitor Itachi. Still, his involvement with Team seven had made him weak, he realised that now, because he heard another voice in his head; Not the devious, strong and cunning voice of the seal Orochimaru had granted him, but the innocent, pure seven year old boy repeating one thing.

_' i am sorry... Kakashi ... Naruto... And most of all....Sakura'_

As his last act as a Konoha shinobi, a tear fell on the ground right on the limits of the village from his face.

" Wel, this makes things a lot easier.." , he heard a voice say in an obviously happy tone. Four figures appeared in front of him, all wearing a standard outfit, which unknown to the raven haired boy, was the uniform of Orochimaru's lieutenants.

A thin and tall boy with white hair greeted him. "Greetings Sasuke-sama, we are the Sound Four and have come to escort to you Orochimaru-sama's base." he said as all four of them bowed to him.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-NEXT MORNING, KONOHA HOSPITAL-

" Let's see.... Uzumaki Naruto, huh.." a doctor performed some handseals and scanned the boy's body. Talking to herself, she added. " Suffering from mild chakra exhaustion... it seems his chakra was concentrated on his chest all night... His wound there is completely gone, not even a faint scar remained... He will need to stay in bed today to replenish his chakra."

She scribbled all her observations on the patient's log and left the sleeping boy to continue his rest. Checking her list again, she once again whispered to herself.

" Ok, next up... Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Sasuke, room 307." She made her way through the wide corridor.

Upon entering, she noticed that one of them was missing." Where did the Uchiha go? It's still five o'clock for Kami's sake!". Looking more carefully, the doctor realised that all the boys things were missing since yesterday morning when she had checked him. " This is bad...", the female doctor said as she rushed to the counter to inform her superior.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-HOKAGE'S OFFICE, THIRTY MINUTES LATER-

Tsunade was sitting behind her office; her hands hands resting on the desk, she looked at the one in front of her. Shikamaru Nara only yawned as he expected to be given his first mission as a Chuunin.

" Shikamaru Nara, i have summoned here because i am about to assign you your first mission as a Chuunin." the woman said.

_' As expected... Troublesome.'_, the boy nodded and she continued.

" You will be in charge of a team sent to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke, who left the village some time between 11 o'clock yesterday and 5 o'clock today. As you can see , we are so short on manpower since the Invasion incident that even my assistant has been sent on a mission. Therefore, you have the best of our genin to choose from."

" Is he alone?"

" Our people maintaining the barrier surrounding the village sensed a mild disturbance, but it was small enough to be one of a group of large animals. In hindsight, we believe that it was a group of ninja, no more than five , that knew how to bypass it and had the skill to pull it off.

The black haired boy nodded slowly, he sure had his work cut out for him; Now he was wondering who to choose, but Tsunade stopped him as he was about to leave her office.

" I think i forgot to mention this, but there is one genin who is off limits because of a reason that does not concern you....." Tsunade trailed off; The Nara, for the first time during the whole meeting, turned and looked at his superior with surprise evident in his eyes.

o---o

o---o

**Author's Notes**

Well, i hope you liked Chapter 6 of NAToD( Naruto: A Tale of Determination).

I realise this chapter was a bit shoter than usual, but i think this was the best place to stop. Plus , it's out earlier, that's something at least, right? I would love to hear your opinions on the story's progress. I also want to remind you that everithing i have changed, i have done so for a purpose, which will be revealed sooner or later!!!

**A Small Comment**

So, i heard that in the last issue of WSJ was a 'letter' from Shueisha ( The owner of WSJ and Viz) that imformed fans to not read manga scans online, and that the company will take harsh measures against them. I realise that reading scans online for free is illegal and that Shueisha was looking out for its profits , which is understandable. Out of curiosity, i checked to see whether Naruto is being published by any company here in Greece. To my surprise it actually was, but the thing is that it's Still on the 12th Tankobon ( right before the Neji vs Naruto fight), releasing one every three months or something.... Also, reading the translations on my language seems ....well childlish. To the English speakers, imagine that Sasuke's Housenka no jutsu translates to something along the lines of Fire flower technique... which sounds ridiculous....


	7. Sasuke Retrieval Team

**DISCLAIMER**

**I do not own the anime or manga Naruto in any way, shape or form!**

**A Few Words**

A thank you to everyone that read this story so far, a bigger to those that added it to their Fav's or Alerts list, and the biggest yet to those that took the time to review: Sealmaster1000. jstrife, Naginator, geetac, ArashiKage Naruto, redxdragon, Notpaimon, Ayje, deltabeta26, schnookums, ukiyo nishiyori.

Before i answer any questions i would like to make a comment: It seems that one thing i wrote partly in an attempt to give a hint to those who can read between the lines about a certain event has been taken the wrong way entirely... Nonetheless, i will not spoil it, but think about it a bit....It also serves as a minor plot point, but honestly, i never expected such a strong reaction from everyone... But then again, maybe that is just because you still have in mind the canon, which is perfectly understandable.... To those that were irritated about it i can only say to just wait for another chapter... Remember, everything is done for a reason, at least in this fic!

For the answers:

Sealmaster1000: I am glad you like this story. As i said, nothing is done for no reason at all. Please read on and see what i mean.

jstrife: First of all, thank you for your comments. As for your assumption that i will have Naruto go fetch Sasuke, the answer is in this chapter!

Naginator: I won't spoil the outcome of this; All i can say is that it will be revealed in the next one or two chapters.

ArashiKage Naruto: I assume you are talking about Naruto, but i honestly don't think so. He used an assassination jutsu against a teammate. There are many things he could have done, please read one of the answers below.

redxdragon: While Naruto did not use the Rasengan with the intent to kill in his mind, the mere use of it implies it. As for the protection outside Sasuke's room, Tsunade had her own assistant go to missions, leaving her with extra work... I don't think she could spare one or two shinobi to guard a genin who MIGHT do something when all around the country and outside things WERE actually happening. Think of it this way, Tsunade took a gamble and she lost! Not surprising huh? As for Naruto brooding, yes he is generally a cheerful person, and that is why, as a normal person, he is extremely unhappy when his dream is taken away, even temporarily. i had initially considered having Naruto put up more fight than that, but in the end i decided against it. Finally, i will answer your question with another one: Did Shikamaru need to know that Naruto is temporarily an ex-genin?

Notpaimon: I like to think that there is. If you choose to read on you will see what i mean.

Ayje: Thanks for the vote of confidence! Well i will point out some non lethal action he could have used: A second wave of 50+ Kage bunshin, using a well placed Kawarimi; The list goes on actually! Naruto's punishment is based on the fact that he WANTED to test his power against Sasuke no matter what. On the other hand, if he did not do that, he would just be just an oc i created who happens to be in place of the original Naruto. Plus also consider that Naruto's punishment is just 'on paper'. He can't wear a headband and use Konoha's training grounds, he is not physically restricted in any way.

deltabeta26: Well, i don't know if having Naruto not go after Sasuke is good or bad, but unfortunately that's not what is to happen here... Sorry, my imagination only stretches so much, delta! Although, now that i think about it a bit more....a few things come to mind, but it's too late now! The way the story is set up, one canon thing of such importance is bound to happen. Be sure to check the next story i write, because i think i might actually go that way! But do read on i have made some less radical changes i believe you will like.

schnookums: Thanks for the support. As for the rookies' reactions, you are about to find out! Regarding Tsunade's decision, i think i need to clarify this: Of course she did not like to see Naruto getting any kind of punishment; However, she is the Hokage, and the only way to punish Sasuke like i truly believe he deserved, in order to be fair, she had to punish Naruto too. If Naruto had reacted in any other way, he would not be sentenced to what he was.

ukiyo nishiyori: First of all, thank you for taking the time to make your opinion known to me , and no i do not consider your post a flame, as you are justifying what you're saying in a perfectly valid way. Concerning the choices Naruto had, please refer to one of the answers above. Also, i would like to remind you that in ANY situation, people have many potion to choose from. Hell, Naruto could have even back off from the challenge, but as i mentioned before, it would not fit his character. Also, consider the answer i gave to Ayje regarding the nature of Naruto's punishment. Furthermore, yes Sasuke was the one to start the chidori and Naruto followed with his Rasengan, which is exactly why he was punished more lenienlty.. If you see the initial punishment Tsunade proposed, then you you will discover that Naruto's punishment was half the duration of Sasuke's.

Thanks for reading up to this point! On to the next chapter of NAToD( Naruto: A Tale of Determination)

**Chapter 7: Sasuke Retrieval Team**

**o---o**

**o---o**

Shikamaru Nara was standing in front of the main gates of Konoha alongside some of his comrades; On his left was Akimichi Chouji, his best friend and teammate; On the right side were two of the strongest genin in the whole village: Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji. However , the young geniuses' mind was troubled by one thought alone.

_' This is not enough... We only have one tracker among us...'. _A voice interrupted his train of thought, only to see a boy about his height with a white jacket and sunglasses looking at his general direction. Everyone turned his attention to the said boy.

" Shino, what were you doing outside the village at this hour?" , the big boned Akimichi asked, and Shino merely added.

" Adding bugs to my collection.... If you require my assistance, i inform you that i would be happy to oblige.". Shikamaru's face was now adorned with a grin.

" Heh, it seems we got two trackers after all.... Good, now listen carefully everyone." He looked at his team with a serious face he rarely put on.

" Sasuke Uchiha left yesterday night from the village; Our mission is to capture him if he did it willingly or to free him if the enemy has kidnapped him." At this the Hyuuga genius retorted.

" What about Naruto? I would have thought he would be the first to join this operation."

The lazy Nara just sighed. " Hokage-sama prohibited me from even speaking to him about this whole incident. I don't know what, but something drastic must have happened between Sasuke and him for her to take such measures."

At this, everyone there was shocked; They all knew the boy had a rivalry with Sasuke, but they also knew he would never abandon anyone, much less his own teammate.

After the initial surprise had passed, Neji smirked. " We better leave him marks on our way there....". Lee nodded also.

" I am sure Naruto-kun's Flames of Youth will burn passionately when he hears about this, so we can't take away the chance for him to make use of them!"

" I agree, Naruto is the kind of person to come and help only to get lost on the way.", Chouji said, his mouth full with some chips.

The young chuunin sighed. " Troublesome blonds... Fine, we will draw arrows on some of trees' trunks while we move... Now, about the mission... We have information that a small team of ninja might be escorting our target."

" I see... How many ninja are supporting him? Do we know where they stand in terms of power?"

The lazy leader let his thoughts wonder for a moment before answering. " We believe that it is a small elite shinobi force of under five members is helping him. We cannot accurately estimate their strength though."

Seeing there were no other questions, the Nara added. " Before we go, i need to check your equipment. I will tell you of an appropriate battle plan." All the boys nodded and removed their pouches to be inspected, waiting for him to come up with their strategy.

After all was said and done, the Sasuke Retrieval Team left the safety of their home to bring the lost sheep back to the flock.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-TWO HOURS LATER-

Sakura's eyes fluttered open; Still oblivious to what had happened the previous day, the pink haired stretched and slowly sat up oh the bed. Looking at Sasuke's room , the memories of the events returned to her. Standing up , she rushed out of the apartment to inform the Hokage of Sasuke's departure.

After a minute of running on rooftops, she reached the Hokage's Tower. Not thinking straight because of her distress, she entered from the window of the office, interrupting Tsunade's discussion with her secretary. Looking at the girl dumbfounded , Tsunade dismissed her assistant and addressed Sakura.

" What on Kami's sake do you think you are doing?" Sakura, still panting heavily spoke incoherently. Sighing , the older woman added. " Calm down, take a breath... We will talk then.",

The girl nodded and did so. Seeing that she was in an acceptable position, she initiated the conversation.

" I assume you know about your teammate's departure?". The pink haired girl looked at her dumbfounded.

" A doctor at the hospital noticed his absence and informed me."

" Then you must organise a team to get him back!" She eagerly said, " I wish to be a part of it."

The Fifth Hokage did not look surprised. " I have already done that Sakura."

" You...left me out? What about Naruto?"

" He is not a shinobi at this moment, this has nothing to do with him." Tsunade said coldly, even though she did not believe it herself.

" How can you say that? Who did you send then?", Sakura sked angrily; On the inside, she could not help but feel that someone would end up getting hurt or worse.

" I assigned Shikamaru to recruit the most able genin he could." At this , the girl's eyes widened.

" But there is no medic-nin among the genin ranks except me and Ino, and i know that Ino has not yet mastered anything besides one low level healing jutsu!". Tsunade's face darkened; Being reminded of her shortcomings as a leader was not something she liked.

Sakura stood up and moved towards the window, intending to leave the way she entered. " Don't do anything rash; Believe in your fellow Konoha ninja; They will accomplish their mission.". Sakura ignored the voice that shouted behind her as she leaped off the building.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-AT THE SAME TIME AS THE RETRIEVAL TEAM'S DEPARTURE-

Shizune was panting: She had been assigned a mission because of the few number of available shinobis, and together with her team they had completed it and were returning to the village as they had spotted four Sound shinobi and another person, who Shizune recognised as Uchiha Sasuke; Naruto's teammate. As they observed them, they saw the Uchiha swallow some sort of food pill and immediately going into arrest; The four foreign ninjas were apparently not surprised, as they quickly made a barrier and put him inside a basket they sealed.

Deciding they had seen enough, the team leader had instructed that all three members of the team to attack, with the exception of Shizune, who would run to the village to inform them of the infiltration. She hesitantly nodded and left before her teammates initiated the attack. However, after a good ten minutes , she sensed her fellow shinobis' chakra signatures fading; She decided to disobey her orders and turn back to assist them.

Upon arriving at the battle site, she horrified tried to take the whole scene in: Out of her three teammates, only one was standing; the other two were too injured to even do that. At her feet was one of the four Sound ninja, but she paid no attention to him, as she quickly snapped out of her state and began to heal the critically injured shinobi. The one with the shoulder length brown hair she remembered as Genma said with the little strength he still had in him.

" We got one; He was the weakest of them but still..." he said as he observed more closely at his enemy's corpse. He had a body structure similar to an Akimichi, but his hair was red and his hairstyle atrocious." ...He was a pain in the ass."

His teammate that was just as injured as him tried to laugh, only to double over in pain; Shizune only sighed at their childish antics.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-TWO HOURS LATER, KONOHA HOSPITAL-

Sakura stormed into the building , not bothering to greet all the friends she had made during her time working there. Only one thing was on her mind; _' I have to tell Naruto...'_

Hastily opening the door, she found a sleeping Naruto, and she immediately shook him awake. "Come on Naruto , wake UP!", she yelled. Unsurprisingly, Naruto immediately opened his eyes and mumbled something incoherent before realising what was happening.

" What is it Sakura-chan?" , he asked, seriously concerned for his teammates mental health; His assumptions disappeared when she started to cry. In between her sobbing, she managed to retell all of yesterday's and today's events, leaving out the more personal ones.

Naruto was shocked; His sensei had told him about the reason Orochimaru wanted Sasuke, but he never would have thought that Sasuke would choose him over Konoha.

_'Maybe he does not know why Orochimaru wants him..'_, he thought as his eyes widened. Standing up, he entered the bathroom to change. After a minute that seemed like an eternity to Sakura, her teammate came out; Seeing him with nothing on his head was strange; He always used to wear his headband and a pair of goggles before that. He had also left his jacket unzipped, so she was able to see a strange green stone he wore as a necklace.

" I am going after him; Don't worry Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme is not stupid; Once i tell him why Orochimaru wants him, he will come back for sure!", said the blond with a confident smile on his face.

Sakura smiled a bit and nodded.; Standing up she said." Let's go!". Naruto looked at her surprised.

" I don't think you should come with me, Sakura-chan... You are still a shinobi of this village, unlike me... So stay here."

" No! I will not be left behind again Naruto! Sasuke is our responsibility as team seven;A ninja who breaks the rules is considered scum, but the ninja who abandons his teammates is worse than scum, remember?... You and Sasuke are not the only members of the team, Naruto...", she whispered , but her look showed her conviction.

Naruto smiled.

" Let's go get our teammate back Sakura-chan!"

As they both left the gates so many off their generation had done earlier, a lone figure looked at them from the distance, a sake bottle in hand. She smiled faintly as she took another sip from her bottle.

_' You will go there even if it is not your duty to do so Naruto? After what he has done to you? And you Sakura will go there despite your own duty?... Maybe this generation is more gifted than i thought....'_, she said as a bitter smile formed on her face.

o---o

o---o

o---o

- ONE HOUR EARLIER-

Shikamaru was winded; Stamina never was one of his strong points and they had been jumping from tree branches for an hour already. Surprisingly, all his other teammates had not even broken a sweat yet. The lazy genius only smirked.

_' I guess my physical condition would have improved too if i had not spent all my time learning clan techniques.'_. Suddenly he saw the signal Shino had made; He was the front tracker since his bugs could move much faster than them and he had a form of long distance communication with each and every one of them. As he signaled everyone to stop , Shikamaru moved next to Shino to be informed of the situation.

" They seem to be resting; Their powers range from mid chuunin to low Jounin level; One of them has a used a technique to spread a wire resembling a spider's web to detect movements." Shino professionally said.

" What about Sasuke?"

The bug user did not answer for a minute; Shikamaru figured he was communicating with his minuscule allies again. " It would seem that my Kikaichu can feel a presence inside a sealed basket; However it is impossible to tell if it belongs to Sasuke."

Shikamaru nodded; It was almost guarantied that the Uchiha was there. Shino was one of the best genin trackers; If he said he was not anywhere else, then the Nara was willing to place his trust on him.

After splitting their forces for a pincher attack, Shikamaru made the signal and the first kunai was thrown, followed by explosive notes and shurikens. Even though they were surprised, the Oto nins were quick to react; The female and the apparent leader of the group managed to escape their attack, while the third one, a boy with six hands and a hairstyle similar to Shikamaru's was not so quick and parried the projectiles instead.

As many of the Konoha ninja decided to give chase to the two members that had escaped along with the sealed basket, they were hit from behind by the other one. As Shikamaru, Neji , Lee and Chouji were entangled in some kind of chakra infused web, only Shino remained free and looked at the opponent calmly. " I am Aburame Shino... I will be your opponent", the boy said and lifted his left hand; The web that was constricting his allies was eaten away in seconds by his bugs.

The Sound nin smirked. " I like you... I am Kidomaru. I hope you will entertain me a bit before you die." As soon as he finished, he opened his mouth as a kunai made from a gold substance began to materialise in front of him.

Shikamaru nodded. " Take good care of him, Shino. We will continue to leave the marks for Naruto; Follow them to catch up."

With a slight tilt of his head, the bug user acknowledged his superior's orders and focused on the battle as his comrades turned the other way to continue their pursuit.

o---o

o---o

o---o

The retrieval team was approaching the enemies fast; On the way Shikamaru spoke. " There are still two enemies left; We will split to two teams and take them out; Based on our first encounter, if we just get the basket containing Sasuke and retreat, they will catch up to us and attack us from behind, which is more dangerous than facing them head on. Since we have two close combat specialists, Lee and Neji, a mid to long range fighter, me, and a close range fighter with mid range support attacks, Chouji, the teams will be Chouji and Neji, and the other will be Lee and me.". The others nodded and prepared for battle.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Shino dodged once more; Trying to avoid one ninja's kunais was one thing; Trying , however, to avoid the kunais of a ninja who had six hands and was able to throw projectiles with all of them at the same time was another thing entirely. All over his body he had minor cuts, while one of the missiles had actually hit stuck to his left shoulder.

" You are all talk... This little game is very boring you know...", the Sound nin said as sped up, weapons on each hand. Shino tried to dodge again, but his time he was unsuccessful, resulting in a stab on his chest and two on his smirked as he felt the resistance of his opponent's body slowing his hands down. After some moments though, he was worried; No blood had come out of the Konoha nin. Instead, he could feel something moving inside the body he just stabbed; He tried to back off , but his effort was in vain.

He watched in horror as the Aburame burst into a thousand pieces and all of them attached themselves to him; He could feel his chakra leaving him rapidly and he had to do something about it. Sending chakra to his skin , he waited the results of his technique.

Shino watched as his Kikaichu swarmed his opponent and started draining him; His brows lowered a bit once he sensed that the situation had somehow changed. Lifting his right hand up, his bugs quickly flew away from the enemy to reveal him coated in the same substance his weapons were made of. His face mask fell off as he spoke.

" Good, but not good enough... Still , i think you deserve a bonus for forcing me to use this...", he continued with a smirk, " I will show you Orochimaru-sama's power!", he said as black marks began to take over his face, before he covered it again with the yellow substance.

o---o

o---o

o---o

" Wait...... NOW!"

Chouji had just consumed the green pill and he felt its immediate effects; Putting all of the acquired power into one technique, he formed a handseal and his right arm grew over a hundred times bigger; Wasting no time, he swept the two remaining ninja who had just become aware of them; The white haired boy who held the basket sensed the danger at the last moment and dodged it, but the female was not as lucky. The force of the hit threw her to the left side of the pursuing team; Neji immediately followed her as did Chouji.

At the same time as Chouji attacked, Shikamaru and Lee focused their attention to the apparently strongest member of the team, who was heading the opposite direction because of the sudden dodge he had to make.

" Yosh, let's show him what a Konoha shinobi is all about, Shikamaru-san!", Lee excitedly said before leaping from the branch he was stationed to give chase. Shikamaru just sighed before following.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Shino and Kidomaru were standing in the middle of a clearing; All round them were patches of circular spider-like web traps: Shino had been forced to use the bugs to cover his whole body in order to prevent getting caught on them for more than a second; His opponent could instantly spit them from his mouth at high speeds. Kidomaru was still completely covered by his special yellow armor, leaving no exposed flesh for the Aburame's Kikaichu to attack.

" Is that all? I guess that i should end it then huh? It was fun while it lasted!" , the Oto nin said and his form began to change again; Even though he was not visible to the Aburame, he could, through the Kikaichu, the immense change in the quality of his chakra; It was poisonous to the minuscule bugs. Dropping the mask on his face once again. he had a demon like appearance with red skin and a third eye directly above his nose; He watched him put his hands in his mouth, each coming out while holding a weapon. Once he had finished, he was holding two spears on each of his top pair of hands, two tantos with the middle pair and two scythes with a small handle on the lower pair, all made from his hardened web.

Lowering his stance, Shino held his kunai with the right hand , because his left shoulder's injury had immobilised his left one._' He uses his upper hands for long range attacks, his middle ones for mid and close range, and the lower ones for surprise attacks... This will be tough...'_.

" Game Over!", Kidomaru shouted as he charged the Konoha nin. He pulled back both his spear handling hands and made several thrust at the stoic boy, who dodged and parried all of them skillfully. Coming closer, he continued his attacks with the tantos while his upper hands were now holding the spears high up, pointing at his face; Shino could barely avoid getting hit at his vital spots, opting to get grazed and focus his efforts to dodge on the more threatening attacks.

Sensing the imminent surprise attack from the scythes below, he jumped back, disengaging close combat momentarily. Kidomaru did not give chase, deciding to give him a breather and prolong his fun.

He should not have done so.

Getting the signal from his Kikaichu, Shino sped towards the six handed Oto-nin and poised his kunai to strike his chest. Overestimating his abilities, Kidomaru mocked him.

" You might as well try to stab me; I won't even try to defend or dodge your strike; You have seen how strong my armor is!" , he said and let out a sinister laugh. Shino did not verbally respond; He only made a one handed handseal with his left hand. Behind his mask, Kidomaru was grinning widely.' _It's not every day i get to fight such a fool! It's too much fun!'_

While the tip of Shino's kunai was mere centimeters away from his chest, Kidomaru heard a crack coming from there: By the time he looked down, his enemy's kunai was inside his chest up to its handle; The armor that was previously protecting it was on the ground. He fell on his knees, his body no longer obeying his commands. " How?" he slowly muttered as life began to leave his eyes.

The Aburame fixed his glasses and said in a professional tone. " My Kikaichu have various sizes; Some of them are even smaller than the distance between your sweat glands, where i noticed the web armor originated from. I ordered them to bite each and every gland out of your skin . The reason you felt nothing up to now was simply because their mouths are laced with a special numbing poison unique to them."

" I see... This game was fun after all....", Kidomaru said before letting out his last breath and changing back to normal.

Sensing no danger, Shino fell to his knees, his palm holding the wound on his shoulder; His body was full of cuts of variying sizes and depth, but nothing permanent; What he was worried about was his Kikaichu; The Oto-nin did not need to know this, but his chakra during his second stage transformation was affecting them negatively; The bugs that had been working in his sweat glands since the beginning of the battle now were dying rapidly. _' I have lost over half the population of my colony....' _he said as he sat down to treat his more threatening wounds using a first aid kit he always carried in his pouch.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Neji and Chouji landed on a branch, one next to the other, while their female opponent stood a good fifty meters from them, on another branch looking at them menacingly.

" You little piece of shit! Do you know who i am? I am Tayuya of the Sound Four, and you are dead now!"

Both Konoha nins looked at her calmly; Getting even more irritated with their behaviour, Tayuya pressed her flute on her lips and started playing her tune. Neji saw with his active Byakugan the chakra infused sound and turned to warn his teammate; He was late, however, as Chouji had already been affected by the female's technique and tunred to attack him. Using his almost perfect vision, he jumped back and performed a sommersault before landing on nearby tree. His teammate chased after him, under the watchful eye of a smiling Tayuya.

" Snap out of it", the pale eyed boy yelled as he hit the plump boy with a weakened version of his Juuken strike oh his chest. The strike made the Akimichi double in pain, but the result was immediate. Standing up after a moment, he muttered an apology, which the Hyuuga genius did not bother to answer besides nodding.

The Oto-nin frowned as she realised she had lost control of her victim. " I can't believe i have to use my Seal for pieces of trash like you!" the red haired kunoichi said as black marks began to take over her body.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Lee and Shikamaru found themselves on a a meadow field overlooking the forest around Konoha. Their opponent was looking at the distance, the basket firmly placed next to him.

" This is it... Just over this forest is the Border of the Fire Country...", he said, hand pointing in the distance, " If you kill me , you can take back Sasuke-sama with you... If i kill you he will join our leader..." Turning to them he only added. " Don't worry... i will make this quick."

Lee smirked and slipped into his standard Goken stance. " Yosh, Shikamaru-san, i will engage him, you will support me from the distance. May the most youthful win!", the spandex wearing boy blurred in speed while Shikamaru kneeled with one of his legs as he made handseals and whispered his technique. _" Nimpou:... Kage Nui"_ as black strings of shadow began moving towards his target.

**" Konoha Senpuu!"**, Lee said as he jumped and performed a spinning kick , hitting the enemy ninja on the face. As he fell back, Shikamaru's Kage Nui had reached him; Noticing the black lines moving towards him, he spinned in midair, avoiding all of them but one, which went through his left anckle. The white haired boy tightened his grip in pain as he landed on the ground limping. " You Motherfucker!" he yelled, " You are dead!". A deeper voice behind him spoke then.

" Sakon, what do you think you are doing? You woke me up and we have not reached the base yet!", Lee and Shikamaru watched in disgust as the second head moved along the body to face them. A huge grin formed on its face.

" I see we have someone to play with , huh?"

" I need you to watch out for the kneeling one's technique, Ukon. He can manipulate the shadows and use them to stab. Let's change bodies, i need to heal my leg."

Ukon nodded and and identical body appeared out the existing one, identical to the previous one, only undamaged. He instantly charged them, while his brother's head moved to his abdomen. As the Oto nin twins attacked Lee, Shikamaru used his jutsu again to hit his target; What he noticed was nothing he did not expect; The brother that was now on the inside kept track of his attacks' movements and used his limbs to move away from them, while the outer one was in a high speed taijutsu spar with the Goken specialist.

Lee was having a hard time keeping up; His opponent had equal speed and strength as him, and his blows were too unpredictable to dogde, thanks to the inner one's assistance. After thrown back by one of the strongest punches he had ever taken, he smirked.

" My sensei told me not to do this, but this is a special occasion", he said as he removed two sets of weights from his legs. He threw both of them at the Sound nin, who just laughed, expecting them to be some sort of practical joke. As soon as he felt the pressure of the two hits, however, his previous grin changed into an expression of rage.

" Well, since you don't play nicely, i am afraid that i will have to do this.", he said as Lee and Shikamaru saw both twins unleash their Curse marks.

o---o

o---o

o---o

A weird tune was echoing all around Neji and Chouji, who now were engaged in close quarters combat with three of the female nin's summons; Neji was fighting two of them while Chouji was dealing with one.

" Forty degrees to your right!" The Byakugan shouted at his teammate, who nodded and made some handseals and in turn said, **" Bubun Baika no Jutsu!"** as his arm grew several times over and slammed the point where the Huuga had pinpointed the female's location.

Jumping up to avoid the attack, Tayuya momentarily interrupted her tune, causing all her summons to remain stationary for mere moments; That was long enough for the Hyuuga genius to permanently disrupt the chakra of the two he was fighting , making sure that they could no longer receive any command, while the Akimichi had consumed a yellow pill and grown his other hand too as he picked his opponent up and tore his limbs away from his body.

Noticing the loss of her troops, Tayuya lost control ofher emotions. " YOU FUCKING PIECES OF SHIT! I WILL TEAR YOU APART!", as she released the final form of her seal and began her tune again. The Hyuuga saw the chakra enhanced sound waves and trid to prevent them with a technique he had come up with all by himself.

**" Hakkesho Kaiten!"**, he confidently said as he began his spin while releasing chakra from all the tenketsu of his body. He watched with his Byakugan that all the chakra waves in the air were instantly destroyed as they came into contact with his powerful spin.

Seeing the kunoichi preoccupied with his teammate, chouji once again grew his hand and attacked the enemy nin from afar; Tayuya smirked as she saw him. With a change in her tune, a strange entity emerged from inside the mouth of the minion the Akimichi had incapacitated earlier. It was made of chakra and resembled a tongue , but it had many mouths all around it. Too late to stop his hand because of all the force he had put before, Chouji was hit by Tayuya's attack.

Neji saw the attack better thanks to his Kekkei Genkai; He watched as all the mouths opened simultaneously and chopped off pieces of the plump boy's chakra. Having taken the attack head on, Chouji was deprived of about half of his remaining chakra at that very instant, while his injured arm shrank back to normal, having been rendered immobile.

Gathering chakra to his hands, the Huuga genius leaped off the branch he was on and charged the strange creature. Under Tayuya's guidance, it opened all its mouths in anticipation of the attack; Neji raised one of his palms instead; It was time to use his newest attack.

**"Hakke Hasangeki"**, he shouted as the chakra he had compressed previously on his palm was expelled out in a spinning hurricane of blue chakra, completely destroying the chakra made tongue. Tayuya had no time to react because of her surprise, as Neji now was right in front of her. He whispered the last phrase she would ever hear.

**"Hakke Rokujūyon Shō"**, said the pale eyed boy as he began counting strikes. A few moments later a no longer transformed Tayuya fell to ground below the branches the fight had taken place, completely devoid of life.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Shikamaru was getting frustrated; With the one brother focusing entirely on his attacks, the Nara could not get a sigle shadow to connect with his target; He was not even helping Lee as the one with the main body was not only focused on the taijutsu expert, placing all his trust into his brother.

Lee was not fairing well either; the balance of power did not shift when he removed his weights as he expected, since his opponent had powered up not only in speed like the Konoha nin, but also in strength. The spandex wearing boy had taken more blows than he could count , even though most of them were the actions of the inner brother and his surprise attacks.

The outer twin sighed. " What are you, one trick ponies? This is no fun... Sakon... You know what to do...", he trailed off as his brother separated from him, the marks on their bodies changed shape and covering them whole. When their transformation was complete, Shikamaru and Lee were looking at the face of two ogre like creatures, each with a horn pointing the opposite side than the other.

" Go on ahead Ukon, i know you can't resist killing them like that.", one of them confidently said as the other smirked and attacked Lee. He threw a punch at him that the Konoha nin dodged and countered with another one of his prized kicks; Ukon could not help but grin; His eyes widened at what happened next: Trying to activate his technique in order to enter the boy's body, he discovered that he could not merge with him no matter how much he tried, taking the boy's kick head on. He was pushed back next to his brother who was equally stunned.

Shikamaru smirked; He realised the reason the twins were stunned was because they were expecting to merge with Lee; That was an assumption that would lead to their death. The lazy genius had heard of Lee's problem since he was a child, his chakra coils had not been working properly his whole life, producing an amount barely enough to support his daily functions and reducing his conscious control over it to zero; Whatever the nature of their jutsu was, they needed to merge with the enemy's chakra pathway first, impossible in Lee's case.

Taking advantage of the situation, Lee lumped and landed in front and between them, both his hands on the ground supporting him and legs curled up as much as possible. Opening the first of the Eight Gates , he put all the power he had on his legs and kicked Sakon and Ukon on their chins, launching them on the air; Standing up properly, the taijutsu expert jumped after them and positioning himself between them; Releasing the bandages on each hand, he used the cloth to wrap them both before putting one arm around their waists. Forcing them down , he began spinning.

' This is my chance!',, Shikamaru thought and once again making the seals for his Kage Nui and forming them where he estimated the Oto-nins would fall. Lee understood his intention and stopped the spinning to give him a clear shot; The lazy Nara smirked as he weaved all the shadow lines into two sharp shadow spikes half his height; Lee gave the final push as he shouted with all his might.

**" Omote Renge!"**

Releasing the twins, they met head on with the spikes while falling with an incredible speed. Both Konoha nins looked away at the resulting sight. They knew they were both dead, because they could tell , barely though, that the transformation was dispelled. Lee fell to the ground exhausted; Shikamaru just sighed in relief. Looking at the basket, only one thought crossed his mind.

_' We did it.... I hope the others are ok... especially Shino who had to fight alone.'_

_o---o_

_o---o_

_o---o  
_

-MEANWHILE-

Orochimaru was sitting on his comfortable throne; His body was completely covered in bandages and the only visible parts of his face was his left eye and his mouth. In front of him his second in command was standing.

" Residing inside Kimimaro was a perfect choice i must say; His clan had one of the most sturdy bodies in the ninja world..." , the Snake Sannin said with a wide grin, " I can feel that i can easily use this body for double the normal amount if not more... And i will spend every last second of those six years to prepare my next vessel....". Turning his gaze towards his subordinate he added, " Which you will go and fetch me my dear Kabuto... I can sense from here that every member of my famous Sound Four has been slain.... Truly this body holds much more potential than i thought."

Kabuto only smirked at his Master's comment, before bowing and saulting him; Forming a one handed handseal, the disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

o---o

o---o

o---o

- AN HOUR LATER-

All the members of the Sasuke Retrieval Team had once again gathered up, their mission complete. Shino had caught up to them shortly after their fights had ended, while Neji and Chouji needed a bit more time due to Chouji needing a little more rest to restore some of the chakra he had lost during the last battle, and the aftereffects of his clan's pills. Since nobody knew about the seals that sealed the basket or their purpose, Shikamaru decided to move it as it was.

Being the ones in the best physical condition, Neji and Lee offered to carry it, as each reached for the one end of the rope surrounding the basket and picked up.

" Ok , people, let's get back to Konoha." Shikamaru said in a bored tone; All others nodded and they started to move.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-HALF AN HOUR LATER-

" This way Sakura-chan, the arrow here showing it!" Naruto eagerly said and the pink haired girl nodded, adjusting her path.

Looking into the distance, both of them could make out some moements; Wary of enemies, they stopped and inspected further. Realising who they were, Naruto smiled widely.

"It's Shikamaru, Chouji , neji, Lee and... Hey is that Shino?", the blond said as he stood up and waved at them.

"Hey guys, where's Sasuke?", Shikamaru, who was leading the group, only signaled behind him" In the box...", he lazily yelled. Both members of Team seven thought they had not heard correctly.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-MEANWHILE, IN A DARK PLACE-

Total darkness was all around him; He could sense taht he was being moved and he could feel the chakra signatures outside the box, but he could hear no sound from the outside . What troubled him was that only four shinobis had come to get him but he could now sense five around him. Focusing all his mind on them , his eyes widened for a moment as he recognised who they were; Recovering from his surprise, he smirked.

_' Maybe it's time to get my point across...'_

He made some handseals and he felt lightning form ih his hand again. He then brought his other hand closer and transferred half of the blue lightning to his other hand. He knew that to effective, Chidori needed to be launched against the enemy in high speeds, but he felt the power inside him and knew he could achieve such speed using only the force from his arms. Activating his Sharingan to be ready once out, Sasuke Uchiha forced his attacks through the darkness, where he sensed the two signatures carrying him.

He smirked again as he heard a crack and some rays of light coming inside, illuminating his dark world.

o---o

o---o

**Author's Notes**

Thanks for reading the 7th chapter of NAToD(Naruto: A Tale of Determination)! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it!

I hope some questions were answered. I am sorry if some of you disagree with Naruto's punishment but honestly, i had already thought the whole story except the pairing out since before even writing it, and i intend to write it just the way i thought it, simply because i believe it's a fanfic worth reading ( In my biased opinion!) . I really respect everyone's objection to my choices,( provided that they say it with a mature way, not some phrases in between swearing,) , but every deviation from canon has a meaning, be it a change in plot, or the way of storytelling. As i said before i am not into doing things for shock value only, and i believe i have got that across to you readers with the previous chapters. The little rant is to those two who PM'ed me to flame. You know who you are....

Sorry about the little rant, but i had to get that out of my system! I will update again by Tuesday i think, so check again if you want!

I would love to hear any comments on the fights , story, or character interaction, even objections are welcome because objecting to something means that you care to see how it will play out, and i would like the opportunity to 'present my case' so to speak, to justify the reason i write what i write ( With the exception of giving spoilers out if course.)

Also, if you are interested in a story challenge, be sure to check out my profile!

In case someone is confused by the time change in the scenes, i have constructed a timetable to make things clear!

Zero Hour: Sasuke Uchiha crosses the Main Gates of Konoha and meets the Sound Four.

Zero Hour+ 3 Hours: Unnamed female doctor discovers that Sasuke is missing and informs the Hokage.

Zero Hour+ 3 Hours Thirty Minutes: Nara Shikamaru is briefed by the Hokage.

Zero Hour + 4 Hours: Sasuke Retrieval Team (SRT) departs , Shizune's team encounters Sound nins and engages them. One of the Four is killed.

Zero Hour + 5 Hours: SRT spots three Sound nin resting and confronts them; Two of them escape, leaving one behind. SRT does the same and chases after them.

Zero Hour + 5 Hours Ten Minutes: Shino fights Kidomaru; The rest of SRT confronts the two other nins.

Zero Hour + 5 Hours Twenty Minutes: Shino finished his battle, rested and began moving to meet his teammates; SRT kills the remaining two Otonins; Orochimaru orders Kabuto to move.

Zero Hour + 6 Hours: Sakura wakes up and moves to inform the Hokage of Sasuke's Departure; SRT is reunited and resting.

Zero Hour + 6 Hours Ten Minutes: Naruto and Sakura leave the village.

Zero Hour + 6 Hours Twenty Minutes: SRT begins to move back.

Zero Hour + 6 Hours Fifty Minutes: SRT meets Naruto and Sakura; Sasuke wakes up.

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	8. Battle of the Opposites

**DISCLAIMER**

**I do not own the anime or manga Naruto in any way, shape or form!**

**A Few Words**

A thank you to everyone that read this story so far, a bigger to those that added it to their Fav's or Alerts list, and the biggest yet to those that took the time to review:geetac, redxdragon, deltabeta26, untold62, ArashiKage Naruto, Naginator.

My responses:

geetac: Thanks! Hope you like this one more.

redxdragon: To start off, I'm sorry if i sounded a bit defensive in my last answer; I am glad that you stated your opinion regarding the punishments, it gave me the opportunity to better explain my reasoning! As for last chapter being a bit too much like canon, i chose to make the way Naruto found out about Sasuke's departure similar to canon in an effort to make a direct comparison between this story's Sakura and the canon one's, with the canon one basically asking Naruto to fetch Sasuke, while mine insists on helping; A subtle change, but had it not been for Kishimoto's choice to portray Naruto as the good guy with his PoaL and that, she would have gone too. About the fights, i hope you did not skim through the Shino/Kidomaru fight, because that was easily my favourite fight of last chapter! Regarding Sasuke, i don't plan to give him any special treatment; The following fight between Naruto and Sasuke will be realistic, and with a small special part to answer all those who thought Naruto had no way to counter Chidori besides Rasengan! Be sure to read that part!

deltabeta26: I think Shino and the Aburames use one of the most interesting weapons in the series and i always liked them best of all the other clans in Konoha, together with the Naras. Also, the unique projectile you mentioned had already began its course towards the fan last chapter. Here you will see all the mess it made!

untold62: Actually, i am planning to introduce pairings later on, but they will be a side thing mostly because of two reasons: 1. I don't want to take away much time from the main plot, 2. I kind of suck at writing romance scenes....I just can't get the feel for it!

ArashiKage Naruto: Glad you liked last chapter. About the timetable, yeah i did it because i have read other stories that have things happening at different times, and it's kind of hard to wrap your mind around it without forgetting something.

Naginator: Well, here it is! Hope you enjoy reading it!

Moving on to Chapter 8 of NAToD ( Naruto: A Tale of Determination)

**Chapter 8: Battle of the Opposites**

**o---o**

**o---o**

**o---o  
**

_' Maybe it's time to get my point across..'_

Splitting the lightning chakra he had created earlier between his hands, Sasuke Uchiha closed his eyes and focused on the chakra signatures that were carrying him; One was so faint he could barely sense it and the other was on the exact opposite side. The raven haired boy smirked as he crossed his hands in an effort to gain the necessary momentum for the attack. Releasing the first level of his Cursed Seal momentarily, he pumped his hands' muscles with chakra and hit the sides of the basket where he had felt the presences.

Immediately, he felt a similar feeling like the one he had felt not long ago when he fought Naruto.

_' Yes Sasuke-kun, that's it... Now come to me....'_, the usual voice whispered in his head as he jumped out of his dark prison.

Naruto and Sakura looked at the scene unfolding before them in shock; Out of the box Neji and Lee were carrying two hands had erupted, both bathed in blue lightning, hitting the two boys directly on their shoulders. Not a second later, their teammate jumped out of it, his eyes flaring red because of his Sharingan.

Knowing that two of the five were incapacitated, the Uchiha prodigy aimed and threw three kunais at each of his remaining former comrades, which found their targets easily in their condition. Landing on a branch nearby, Sasuke watched as Neji and Lee were kneeling on the ground , holding their wounds to prevent blood loss, while Shino, Shikamaru and Chouji were panting behind cover , trying to access the damaged and concentrate despite the pain they were feeling.

" Sasuke-kun, what are you doing? Stop this, please!", Sakura pleaded as she sped up, Naruto following suit, gritting his teeth.

_' So he did leave voluntarily ... Troublesome... I don't think any of us has enough chakra to fight him, so that leaves only Sakura and Naruto....'_, the lazy genius thought, a painful expression on his face as he was losing blood rapidly.

Sasuke did not answer his teammate's call; Instead , he turned the other way around and made his way to the country's border.

" Sakura-chan, you must help them, Sasuke hit them pretty hard....". Seeing the girl's worried face, Naruto added. " Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets back!", as a faint smile formed on his face before he jumped forward, ready to follow Sasuke.

" We will back you up as soon as we can, Naruto!", yelled Chouji as the blond raised his hand, acknowledging his words right before he disappeared from their sight.

Sakura's eyes stayed where Naruto's figure was last seen, only one thought on her mind. ' What have i done? If they fight again, Naruto will get hit by Sasuke-kun's jutsu again, but.... nobody will be there to help him unlike last time...'. Her eyes widened in realisation. " I....sent him to his death", she whispered, her voice almost failing. Seeing Shino trying to move, she felt a sudden wave of confidence overtake her.

' Hang on Naruto.... We will all help you get Sasuke-kun back.'. The pink haired girl formed four handseals and her palms glowed with green chakra. Jumping up, she began healing Neji and Lee, who suffered the strongest hits.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Naruto had been chasing Sasuke for a good ten minutes already; He had closed the distance between them quite a lot and was now within hearing range of his teammate, so he tried to talk to him, convince him to turn back, but the raven haired boy acted like he was not even there; In fact, he seemed almost distracted by something else; Something the blond could not understand.

_' Keep walking Sasuke-kun... My associate can sense your presence and will come to you shortly...'_, the voice Sasuke identified as Orochimaru spoke again. But there was one thing that bothered him; He could not keep walking, not with Naruto on his tail. The Uchiha wanted to make his superiority known to his teammate; He could not walk away since he knew that Naruto had backed off at their last fight. Seeing the density of the trees lower as he went forward, he heard the sound of a waterfall.

' I will fight him; One way or another, this stupid chase will end over there.', he thought as he saw two huge statues carved on each side of the waterfall, staring at each other while forming a one handed handseal. The Uchiha knew of this place and what happened here. He jumped on the far statue's head and stopped, waiting for Naruto. The blond appeared on the other statue's head and spoke up.

" Finally, i got through to you Sasuke-teme.... Let's get back... You need to apologise to Shikamaru and his team.", he said in a confident tone, smiling a bit at the thought that he had managed to convince him.

Sasuke looked at him neutrally." You are so naive Naruto... Do you really think that an apology is enough after attacking them?", he said the blond looked at him angrily; _'What else am i supposed to say?'_

" And do you actually believe that i would return to a village that intends to forbid me from becoming stronger for five years while Itachi roams free, becoming more powerful by the minute?". Naruto could not answer.

" Enough meaningless words... I do not want to waste another minute talking to you when i could be training; I will end you now.", he said as his fully matured Sharingan began spinning wildly, as eager to fight as its user.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-MEANWHILE-

Sakura was almost done; She had closed all of the most critical wounds and some of the minor ones and was now letting her field patients rest a bit; It would not matter if they could arrive earlier where Naruto was probably fighting now if they could not help him when they got there. Everyone seemed thoughtful and silence dominated their temporary resting grounds.

Finally, Chouji decided to voice the thoughts almost everyone was thinking.

" Do you think Naruto stands a chance against Sasuke? I know he has gotten stronger lately, but still..."

Neji went on to answer. " Naruto is the strongest person i have ever fought against.... His greatest strength is not his stamina, his chakra reserves or even his determination to win... His greatest strength is that he has the power to bring out the better side of everyone he comes into contact with... And that's what Sasuke truly needs now. He wi-"

" Sasuke and Naruto fought not too long ago...", Sakura cut in," Naruto has gotten truly strong; Tsunade-sama said that he has mastered a jutsu that is even stronger than Sasuke-kun's Chidori....", The revelation leaved everyone present dumbfounded as Sakura continued, " At their fight, Naruto tried to use it as a means to counter Sasuke-kun's Chidori, but he cancelled it at the last second; I am afraid that Sasuke-kun will want to test his strength now..."

Nobody commented on her words, but Shikamaru stood up.

" We have to get to them before that happens... That kind of test can only end in a bad way.... Everyone, take one of the food pills Chouji had prepared and let's get going."

As everyone nodded, they stood up and followed the route the blond had earlier taken, albeit in a much slower pace because of their condition; A medic, no matter how good he or she is, can only do so much in the field.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Naruto was thrown back again; His brows were burrowed as he wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand. Sasuke was looking at him calmly, waiting for the blond to make the first move.

' He seems to able to predict all my movements. I don't know wh-'. His train of thought was interrupted as his opponent spoke.

" So you finally understand... With my fully matured Sharingan i can predict your movements and position myself accordingly... You don't stand a chance.", the raven haired boy said as a smirk formed on his face. Naruto formed his cross shaped handseal and ten clones came into existence, staring at Sasuke intently.

" I was wondering when you would use your little jutsu... Unfortunately for you, this is a battle of skill, not numbers...and i alone have more skill than you and all your Kage bunshins together!". He charged right after he finished, four clouds of smoke formed; Jumping up and forming handseals before stopping on one,, the Uchiha called it out.

**" Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" **

A great number of small fire balls materialised from his mouth , aiming at all seven orange spots that littered the small river's surface.

When the attack ended, only one Naruto was left on top of the water; He had managed to avoid almost all of the attacks save one, which got him in the back; He was panting and his whole body was throbbing because of the hits he had taken during the taijutsu match.

" I have decided to spare you any further humiliation...", declared Sasuke as he formed yet another set of handeseals the blond recognised," Let's end this match with one final attack...", he almost grinned as blue lightning chakra formed on his left palm.

Naruto gritted his teeth. " No Sasuke, i am not going to use an assassination jutsu against you, my friend and teammate...". At the raven haired boy's stoic look , he added.

" It's still not late, we can all go back; Things will be like they were before; Remember Sasuke? The four of us were like a family...", a soft smile formed on the boy's face, but he was truly surpised to see a look for of hate from his teammate.

" YOU FOOL, I HAVE A FAMILY! AND THEY ARE ALL DEAD BECAUSE OF MY BROTHER! I LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF HIM, THAT IS WHY HE WILL DIE BY MY HAND, NO MATTER WHAT I HAVE TO SACRIFICE TO DO IT!". Naruto looked at him with wide eyes; He never had an outburst like that before. Without further notice, Sasuke charged at him, his left hand aiming for the head this time.

_' If i get hit by this, i will lose... But i won't use the Rasengan either... Looks like there is nothing left but..'_, the thought as his teammate was a good ten meters away from him. Forming his favourite handseal again, he yelled.

**" Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**

Thirty clones appeared all around the two boys in a circle; " So this is your counter? You'll be dead in one second!". Naruto did not answer; Instead, he took one kunai from his pouch and charged him. As the two met , Naruto tried to dodge but his effort was in vain; The only thing he had managed was to redirect the blow from his head to his shoulder. Sasuke smirked " It is do-". A loud bang interrupted him; The Naruto in front of him had burst into a cloud of smoke.

' I was watching him the whole time; He could not have time to scramble with his clones, i would have noticed it.'. Then he heard a voice behind him, where apparently one of the clones stood.

" Kawarimi no Jutsu... With the special use of handseals, one can replace himself with another object or person almost instantly....An E Rank jutsu taught at the Academy..."

Sasuke's face turned stoic again. " I see... You had your clones perform the Kawarimi instead..." At the blond's smiling face, he retorted. " Don't expect me to miss again now that i know about your little trick, Dobe!". He tried to perform another Chidori, but to his amazement, he could not do it. Remembering back, he had already used it twice already, once to get out of the box, and the seconds just now.

As Naruto and his remaining clones charged him, Sasuke unleashed the first level of his Cursed Seal, finally getting serious.

Six figures leaped through the branches of a lush forest.

" Neji , are you sure this is the right way? We have been running for ten minutes already!", Shikamaru asked again; His usual lazy attitude had been replaced by an impatient and worried one.

Whispering the name of his technique, the veins around the Hyuuga's eyes became visible, granting him almost a perfect eyesight. After a brief inspection, he deactivated them again, wanting to waste the bare minimum amount of chakra.

" Yes, i can see the traces from both their chakra... I also saw the end of the forest...With our current speed, it will take us a about five minutes to reach it."

The young chuunin nodded and continued his course, leading the others to the, unknown to them, battle.

" Dammit Sasuke, why don't you understand? Orochimaru won't give you power, he just wants you as his next host!", Naruto shouted as he dodged another one of his teammate's Katon jutsu.

Sasuke smirked and answered while preparing for yet another Katon jutsu." As i said Naruto... You are naive.... **Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!**", he yelled the last part as a fire blast from his mouth followed Naruto's movements. The blond ran to avoid it, hastily creating a clone in front of him and using his back to back flip and doge the fire, which went on to consume the clone. Removing several kunai from his pouch, Naruto threw them at Sasuke while in midair; The Uchiha used his advanced eyes to easily avoid them with minimum movement.

" Orochimaru is just another stepping stone to achieving my goal... As was Konoha, Kakashi and ...you , Naruto! I will kill you here to prove my advancement!", the raven haired boy was now right next to Naruto ready to punch him in the gut; He saw the blond trying to parry his blow, but his eyes were better than that; He could see the weak point of his defence before he even formed it. The blow connected and Naruto was sent back a few meters.

Dropping his stance , Sasuke saw Naruto lying on top of the water's surface, looking at the sky; He was about to mock him for his incompetence, but he sensed something disturbing; The air around him was becoming heavy, even the sound of the waterfall seemed to vanish momentarily. And then he heard a familiar voice speak in an unfamiliar tone.

" Is that all we are to you Sasuke? Step**ping....stones**?"

What Sasuke saw could not be described accurately; It was like a faint mist dancing on the surface of the water. _'What is that....'_, his eyes widened as his thoughts trailed off.'_ It's chakra!_' He watched in shock as the faint red mist went around in circles around the blond, who had by now stood up; His eyes red, his whisker marks darker than ever, his nails resembling claws. Finally , he noticed something on his neck giving off a faint green light, but he could not think about it further; He had more important things to deal with.

Naruto charged him at speeds he previously could not even dream of; It almost matched his own in his current Cursed Seal state._' I can still handle him.... His speed is manageable.'. _Aiming a punch at Sasuke's chin, Naruto jumped up, convinced that the only way Sasuke would come back to the village would be to be defeated right here.

Sasuke barely dodged and his counter was not very strong, but it connected nonetheless. Having successfully tested his opponent, he smirked again. " No matter how much chakra you waste Naruto, you will not be able to hit me... These eyes can see the way your muscles move and predict your next movement....", his smirk became visibly bigger." Which, in your terms Dobe, means that i can see how your body will move before it even happens!"

After yet another hit accompanied with a mocking comment, Naruto was gritting his teeth;_' I can't hit him.... No matter how i move, he can see it.... He said that he can see the movements of my limbs...What if i tried to focus my chakra like i did with Kabuto?'_. Deciding he had no other ideas, he created fifty Kage bunshins and gained some distance; He started focusing the chakra of his left hand to try it out; He knew he somehow had much less chakra than when he fought Kabuto, but it would have to do. Opening his eys to see the result, he was disappointed; His nails had become normal again and all the red chakra was flowing around his palm and forearm.

_'Dammit, this is useless... I can't even mov-'_. He noticed a very slight breeze that accompanied quick movements. Watching down , he saw that this flowing chakra moved according to his will, accompanied with a extremely faint green flash; He noticed that his necklace had been glowing faintly all the time, even more when he made the chakra move; The blond smirked and turned to his opponent, who was in the process of dispatching the last of the enhanced clones.

Consciously removing all the red chakra from his body, his appearance returned to normal and a faint, thin red aura surrounded him; With his characteristic foxy grin, Naruto charged Sasuke one more time, knowing that this times things would be different.

" How stubborn...", Sasuke waited to yet again dodge the attack, which he did; Or so he thought. A powerful blow to his stomach made him understand his mistake; Stumbling back, he had no time to think what was going on, as Naruto jumped at his direction and prepared to kick him; He dodged the leg, but he might as well have not bothered, as he was hit nonetheless. Thrown a few meters back, off the water's surface, and found himself lying face down right next to his ancestor's feet.

" We don't have to do this Sasuke....."

The raven haired boy did not answer; Instead he stood up and got into his stance again, determined to see what his teammate's trick was. He pulled out some shuriken from his holster and threw them expertly in an effort to distract his opponent while he closed the distance between them. His plan worked; The two seconds Naruto needed to avoid the projectiles were all the time the Uchiha prodigy needed to get right in front of him. Pumping chakra to his fist, Sasuke aimed yet another punch to Naruto's face while observing with his Sharingan to see the reason he had been damaged before.

He was shocked by the fact that he missed, but more so to discover what had caused him to do so; He saw the red chakra around the blond materialise for a split second and move Naruto's head out of harm's way.

' I can't predict the movement of his chakra... So this is the Sharingan's limit...The normal one's at least...', the raven haired boy thought as he failed to dodge yet another one of the blond's blows; Forced back again because of the power behind the hit, something else came to his attention. Looking at the direction they had come from, Sasuke felt six presences he knew too well.

" Your friends have finally arrived....", he said as he ran up to the top of his ancestor's statue; Naruto mimicked him and ran up to the other one in an effort to prevent them from entering the fight.

" They are right there, i can see them both." said the Hyuuga as the group of six exited the woods. In front of them were two statues surrounding a waterfall, on top of each Naruto and Sasuke stood.

_' What is that ...foul chakra i am seeing? It's even worse than the time i fought with him...'_, thought Neji as he observed Naruto closely. The said person turned his head to them and, despite all his exhaustion, smiled heartily at them.

" I'm glad that everybody's alright... Just leave this to me!".

"Of course they will; Can you not see that they can't do anything by themselves? Why do you think everyone in Konoha works in teams?", Sasuke said again in a mocking tone, pausing to give time for his words to sink in.  
" Because everyone in Konoha is weak, each and every shinobi who is a part of it!"

" You are wrong Sasuke....", Naruto's voice was barely audible to those around him; "We don't help each other because we are weak... We do it because we are friends.... I do it because i consider all of them my family.... Even you."

The Uchiha frowned for a few moments before he hid it behind a smirk; " Then...prove it... You know that even if you all manage to bring me back now, i will just leave another time.... Show me the power of your Rasengan and maybe i will reconsider.... If you can beat me, that is.", he said as the Cursed Seal on his shoulder began to pulse again, giving him a vast amount of chakra compared to his previous state and changing his appearance drastically.

_' He is truly just like the Sound ninja... A monster....'_ thought Shikamaru, similar thoughts on each of the original members of the team sent to retrieve him as they saw Sasuke having grey skin, yellow eyes, longer blue hair and a pair of wings that had the form of hands with membranes between the fingers.

Naruto could tell that he was much stronger than before; He knew that in his current strength he would surely lose, so he had no choice but to do what he despised most of all: To ask the fox for more. Closing his eyes, he focused on the Fox's cage.

He realised his effort was successful even before he opened his eyes, as he could no longer hear the sound of the water crashing on the river or feel the wind that was blowing strongly. Expecting to see the familiar sewer- like construct with the cage in front of him, he opened his eyes hesitantly; Even now his prideful side was at odds with the more logical one. Opening his eyes, he saw something different.

The place around him still resembled a sewer and was largely the same, save for one unexpected thing; A small tree had apparently grown right in front of the Kyuubi's cage, next to the seal holding the Demon in place. The blond cautiously walked forward; The fox was cunning and too dangerous to underestimate, even when it is sealed.

Coming closer, he noticed that the tree's roots were reaching inside the Kyuubi's dark home, how far was anyone's guess. As if reacting to his presence, a branch of the tree snapped and water began to pour from the place it formerly occupied; Its color was also red, much like the Kyuubi's was when he supplied the jinchuuriki with power, but it reacted in a way completely opposite way; Instead of charging towards him and trying to drown of overpower him, it slowly paced on, meeting his feet and gently rising up, covering him whole but leaving him enough space to breathe normally. Closing his eyes once again, he embraces the power around him and when he opened them again he was looking at Sasuke's new found form.

" Naruto is also releasing way more chakra than before; It's as much as the Uchiha, if not more.", stated a slightly impressed Neji, as the others nodded; Sakura looked at both her teammates desperately;_' Maybe he was right after all; I can't fight to bring Sasuke-kun back... Only you can..... Naruto.'_

The red aura around Naruto expanded and formed a red chakra cloak which took the shape of his figure, with two ears and one tail accompanying it. Opening the palm of his right hand, he let his cloak provide the necessary chakra in place of a clone and formed his strongest variant of the Rasengan. Looking at him with the red slitted eyes that had returned along with his other changes when he drew more of the Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto waited for Sasuke to form his technique, eager to finish the fight.

His teammate complied and after rapidly forming handseals, chakra became visible on his left palm, but it was not the same; This Chidori was not giving off the blue glow it did before; Instead, it was a vibrant, menacing black; Its power twisted by the Cursed Seal much like its user's body.

They both started running at the same time, leaping off the two statues at the same time; As the two attacks were about to connect, they both called out their names in a loud clear voice.

**''Chidori!''**

**"Rasengan!"**

o---o

o---o

o---o

As the black lightning met the blue spiralling chakra, a loud blast was heard throughout the valley; The earth shook, the water's flow was greatly disturbed and the wind knocked back the surrounding trees and the six spectators, who used almost all their remaining chakra to hold their ground.

_' Impossible....'_

_'When did they become so strong...'_

_' Naruto....Just how strong are you?...'_

_' I cannot believe my eyes...'_

_' Please be safe... Both of you...'_

The light emanated from the attack was blinding all of them and Neji's Byakugan flared at the amount of chakra present in that location. No one could see the struggle that was taking place in front of them.

o---o

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o---o

Naruto was gritting his teeth at the effort he had to put forth just to maintain the stability of his jutsu against Sasuke's Chidori; He may have mastered the shape manipulation of the Spiralling sphere while training, but to keep its form steady when under the pressure of an attack like the one he was facing now was a whole other story; He knew that if he made a mistake or lost his concentration, the Rasengan would spin out of control, explode and leave him to block the lightning attack with his head.

Sasuke smirked as he sensed his teammate's discomfort. " Hey Dobe, do you know why you can't defeat me?". Naruto looked up, trying to listen and concentrate on his attack at the same time.

" It's because you don't have enough hate in you...When my brother told me that recently, it opened my eyes to he truth; Only hate can bring out the power inside a shinobi... And now i see he was right!", he laughed as he finished and pushed on harder.

The blond did not answer, but doubt did momentarily enter his heart; He began to lose ground as Sasuke's hand drew closer to his chest; As the attack came closer, moving slowly, centimeter by centimeter, he tried to remember his reasons.

_' Why do you have to go to Orochimaru? Why do you have to get stronger by going to him? Why can't you become strong next to all of us?_' . His eyes widened when he remembered.

_' Hey Ero-Sennin, why did the Third have to die? How can someone with so many lives depending on him lose?'_

His sensei's answer stayed with him as he continued to lose ground against Sasuke's attack , while he opened the palm of his right hand and chakra began to rapidly swirl around it.

" You see, Dobe? Do you see your limit? Do you see your weakness?", Sasuke almost yelled at him as his Chidori was now mere centimeters from his chest. The blond only gave him a bitter smile and mumbled something he would not have been able to make out if he did not have his Sharingan to read his lips.

_" I am sorry Sasuke..."_

Turning his attention to his right side , his Sharingan spinned wildly as he saw another complete Rasengan coming straight at him from the blonde's right hand; Immediately breaking the technique, he flapped his wings, successfully avoiding the attack and heading towards the statue he had earlier leaped from.

' That was a close on--', his thoughts were interrupted as he watched in horror that the Rasengan had not stopped, but it was still chasing after him, lead by the red chakra that was now shaped as a hand with claws; Sasuke gritted his teeth; He could not avoid or counter it; He did the only thing he could in the split seconds he had before impact.

o---o

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o---o

Their eyes still adjusting to the environment, as the light that blinded them before had disappeared moments ago, all the spectators noticed a figure they identified as Sasuke fall back while being chased by what appeared to be a red hand.

" Neji can you see what exactly is happening?", Chouji was very anxious to see the final outcome, just like everyone around him. The veins around the Hyuuga's eyes expanded as he whispered the name of his technique.

" Sasuke is fleeing from the chakra made hand because it bears the attack he used against him now. Looks like he cannot avoid it; He will have to block it!", he said, his calm nature thrown to the wind, as the rest of his fellow nins had their eyes glued on the raven haired boy. True enough, the Uchiha genin did not try to avoid the blow and shielded himself with his wings instead; He barely had time to do so before the Rasengan connected with him, the force behind it sending him crashing on the chest of the man shaped rock.

They all heard a scream of pain coming from that direction, accompanied by the sound of rocks being shattered; Neji thought for the second time today that his eyes were deceiving him; That he was in some kind of gejutsu and waited for it to end; He could not believe a technique, no matter how strong, could cause that to someone.

o---o

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o---o

The Sharingan wielder was barely standing; His breath was labored and his knees were failing him. He had closed his eyes as a means to brace himself against the imminent attack. When he opened them, he saw something that disturbed him greatly; Both his hand like wings had a huge hole right where the Rasengan connected; The fabric of his blue shirt had vanished completely from his chest, which was now deeply charred.

Hearing some cracks behind him, he barely had enough time to jump to safety as the whole structure that was behind him began to crumble, causing a large rock slide that stopped the river's flow entirely.

Falling to the ground exhausted, Sasuke found Naruto standing right in front of him, the aura surrounding him completely gone. The blond looked at him with regret and sadness evident in his facial expression, but when he spoke his voice was steadier than ever.

" My sensei once told me that the desire to protect cannot make one stronger by itself; It can only strengthen his resolve to train harder than even to achieve his goal; I think the same is true about hate.... In the end it is the stronger shinobi that wins the battle... And i honestly believe that you are a better ninja than your brother Sasuke...", the blond said as he offered his hand to his wounded teammate.

" Let's go back home! To train harder than ever! If we do taht, i 'm sure we can make our dreams come true.", Naruto said with a bright smile, his exhaustion and serious attitude completely gone.

He was sure Sasuke's eyes had softened a bit; His hand had begun moving to meet his, but he would never know for sure because just at that moment two shadows approached them. He barely had time to register Neji's warning from above before it was done.

o---o

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o---o

" Let's go!"; Shikamaru's order was unnecessary, as everyone had already started to run in order to jump down.

" Watch out Naruto! A Sound nin is heading towards you quickly!"

As they raced to get next the two fellow genins, they knew it already was too late.

o---o

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o---o

Naruto's ankles refused to obey his brain's commands; He was struggling to stand, and was too tired to use the Kyuubi's chakra gain so soon. One Kabuto was holding him in a choke hold from behind while another one was accessing Sasuke's wounds.

" Well, it seems that you have caused Sasuke-kun formidable damage.. Had i not intervened, he would have lost ...But that is now irrelevant... Isn't it Naruto-kun?", the boy behind him whispered to his ear, his voice making his skin crawl.

" I think it's time we dealt with you once and for all!", said the Kabuto that had just finished his inspection and formed handseals. Opening his palms, blue chakra gathered around them, resembling a chakra scalpel with a red tip.

" You see, Naruto-kun... I owe you for your gift to me last time... When you corrupted my chakra system, you also gave me the most potent of poisons to wield....", he said as a large grin formed on his face; His blue scalpel momentarily became red before turning blue again, while the red tip remained unchanged.

" Everyone that gets hit by this attack will also have a small part of his chakra network infected, because of the proximity of the attack to the veins carrying the chakra...And i have you to thank for this unique power! So thank you Naruto-kun for giving me the tool to easily cripple every ninja there is with just a few blows!", He laughed loudly as he prepared to strike the boy's heart.

" And this is my farew-"

"NO!", Sasuke cut in and Kabuto's hand stopped in its tracks. Giving the boy a questioning look, he answered.

" I will do it when the time comes...", Kabuto's gaze turned to a suspicious one; Sensing it, Sasuke continued. " Do you really want to tell Orochimaru that you failed to satisfy my wish? A mere whim no less?"

Kabuto burrowed his eyebrows before veiling his emotions again and answered. " Very well.... Since you want to fight him eventually, i won't even damage him beyond repair.", the white haired man smirked as he reached to the blond's legs and shredded his upper thighs' muscles. Naruto did not give him the pleasure of screaming out in pain even thought that kind of pain would surely merit it. Disappointed by that fact, the Kabuto behind him went out of existence and the boy fell hopelessly on the ground face down.

Picking Sasuke, who had by now stopped using the Cursed Seal, from the ground and placing him on his back, he turned away to leave.

" No... I won't let you... make him the next...body Orochimaru uses...", said the blond in between breaths; Kabuto heard him and decided to humor him.

" You know Naruto-kun, that won't happe in another six years... If you manage to get strong enough, you might just make it in time to save him!", he said as he giggled at the last part, before turning his back to him again.

"Until we meet again...Naruto-kun."; Kabuto formed a handseal and disappeared from the blonde's sight.

o---o

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o---o

" They are gone; Sasuke was carried away by the Sound-nin while Naruto was hit multiple times on the legs and is apparently unable to stand.; As soon as Neji finished, they reached the blond; Everyone looked at the blond in front of them: While his body was full of wounds of various severity and sizes, they all knew that his mind and soul was much more damaged. Sakura quickly gathered green medical chakra around her palms and focused on the boy's legs. They all heard him mumble one phrase before succumbing to darkness.

" I ...convinced him. I know i did... We still have ...Six years.", he said tiredly and caused everyone around him to look down, and Sakura to cry as his eyes slowly closed.

o---o

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-TWO DAYS LATER, KONOHA, HOKAGE'S OFFICE-

Tsunade winced as she fought her desire to punch the pervert in front of her with all the power she got; It was a special occasion after all. Reading her mood, the Toad Sage stopped his teasing and got serious.

" So even after he defeated him, he still left for Orochimaru..... It must have been tough for the gaki...", as the legendary kunoichi nodded, he only added, " And the fact that you suspended him from active service does not help one bit... I mean just what were you thinking? It was obvious he was defending himself!"

She gave him a menacing glare." It's easy for everyone to judge when they have no part in the decision; I did what i thought was fair at the time... In hindsight, i should probably have the Uchiha executed for treason or something..."; She heard a heavy sigh coming from her former teammate.

" You always were too harsh on people, Tsunade...Even yourself..."; They both stayed silent for a moment, before the male member of the Sannin spoke again. " Anyway, what's done it's done...It would not be good for your image as a leader to ask for the elders' permission to revoke the decision you made, since technically, the Uchiha was still considered a loyal Konoha shinobi at that time..."

Tsunade looked down at her desk ; She would never admit it to anyone, but she truly regretted her rash action, but as her teammate said, it was now a fact and something that would torment her wih guilt in the years to come.

" It's funny how things work out sometimes; I have had several reports about Akatsuki needing a six year break to prepare for something; And with Orochimaru performing the switch in six years instead of three, it really is too much of a coincidence, but let's go along with it!", he said as he flashed a smile at the Hokage.

" Let me take Naruto with me for five and a half years; He has nothing to do here and more training would certainly help him considering everyone that's after him."

She grinned; It truly was one of the best possible outcomes she could have realistically expected; Tsunade nodded slowly and Jiraiya continued, " Besides, if he continues to look just like his father, i predict i will have a LOT of inspiration for my future work!", he said as a lecherous smile formed on his face. Tsunade got furious at that last comment.

" Leave now baka! I don't know how much longer i can put up with your stupid ways! Go inform your apprentice of your intentions, or go do your 'research'... I don't care, just get out of my sight!"

Forming a handseal for shunshin, he nodded. " Of course Tsunade....chan!", he barely had time to use the technique before a scroll aimed at his head hit him.

" Baka..."; That was the only thing the Fifth Hokage said as a faint smile formed on her face.

o---o

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-THE NEXT DAY, KONOHA'S MAIN GATES-

Naruto and his sensei were standing in front of the village's exit, while around them were some of the blond's friends; Everyone that had gratuated along with him, Team Guy and their senseis; Kakashi had woken up by now and was also there.

They had all heard about the recent events; His removal from active service and his win over his teammate. Most did not believe it at first, but the looks on those who had seen the whole incident convinced them. A certain lazy Nara looked at the whole scene with a bitter smile; _' So the strongest genin in the village is considered a civilian....'_.

The blond could see the mood everyone was in, so he decided to take action.

" Why the sad faces? I am just going to train for some time; When i'm back i will spar with each and every one of you, so make sure you give me a run for my money!", he said with one of the widest smiles he had ever shown. The boys of the group mainly smirked at his challenge, while the girls just sighed at his childish antics.

" I think it's time to say your goodbyes, gaki... We need to go soon."

The blond nodded and looked at everyone gathered there, one at a time; Their eyes locked for moments, expressing feelings that words would not be able to describe. When he reached Sakura, his eyes softened a bit before speaking.

" Become strong Sakura-chan.... I know you can!"

She smiled back and tilted her head in agreement.

He then turned to Kakashi, who had his book on front of him, but his eye was on the blond the whole time.

"Thanks for everything Kakashi-sensei! Let's spar when i return... But i warn you, it won't be as easy as it was on the genin test!". The silver haired man gave him one of his unique eye-smiles. " I look forward to it, Naruto.", he said in his usual tone.

Tsunade had arrived by that time, and looked on the scene with a fond smile. " You better not become a pervert like your teacher gaki; One of them is too much as it is!"; She continued in a whisper, " Take care and don't overexert yourself, Naruto."

He rubbed the back of his head as his usual smile turned into a foxy grin. " You know me too well, Tsunade-baachan!". Most of his fellow genins gave him a faint smile at that.

Having finished talking to everyone, he turned and started walking along with his sensei; As soon as they exited the village, a lone figure appeared in front of them.

" Hello, there, Jiraiya-sensei, Naruto-kun.", greeted them a brown haired man in a travelling merchant outfit. Jiraiya only smiled while Naruto was surprised but excited to see him nonetheless, " Jin-san! Why are you here?"

Looking cautiously behind the pair to one blond haired woman who was glaring at him, he only said, " Well, i just thought that you might need a chef with you along the road... You'll be able to train for longer periods of time!"

Crossing his hands, the Toad Sage just sighed. " You just had to appear right in front of Tsunade, didn't you?.... Fine, come along.". The blond inwardly cheered on for the supply of good ramen he would have the privilege of enjoying for six years; He was, however, interrupted by the female Hokage, whose face betrayed her fury.

" No way Jiraiya! I can't allow this to happen; I would rather you did not train him at all than to do it while he is with you!"; Everyone's eyes turned to the white haired man, who simply said. " Do you trust me Tsunade?"

" I do bu-"

"No buts Tsunade! There is no middle ground in this; Either you do or you don't!"

She sighed in surrender, which Jiraiya took as an answer and continued moving again. After a few minutes that the three of them were outside of hearing range, Kakashi addressed the Hokage.

" Tsunade-sama, who is that man? Is he not trustworthy?"

She kept her eyes on their backs, watching them move on as she spoke." That man was a teammate of your sensei, Kakashi.... He left Konoha a long time ago..."

They all listened carefully, wondering what could cause her to react the way she did.

" The man that was blessed by Fire, they called him.... His natural affinity for the element outclassed even the Uchiha top elites of his time.... Konoha's Hi no Keshin...."

She noticed him smile at Naruto, which infuriated her further.

" The elder Danzo's son.... Shimura Jin."

o---o

**Author's Notes  
**

Thanks for reading chapter 8 of NAToD ( Naruto: A Tale of Determination)

I would love any feedback regarding the fight scene, Jin's origin, and any other comment you want to make!

Hi no Keshin means literally 'Incarnation of Fire'; I thought it would be a fitting name.


	9. In Three Years' Time

**DISCLAIMER**

**I do not own the anime or manga Naruto in any way, shape or form!**

**A Few Words**

A thank you to everyone that read this story so far, a bigger to those that added it to their Fav's or Alerts list, and the biggest yet to those that took the time to review: redxdragon, untold62, Naginator, deltabeta26, JKArcanus

For my answers:

redxdragon: Glad you liked the fight. I have to say that having Naruto asking Sasuke to return all the time was not something I enjoyed writing much, but it is something the current Naruto would do; Of course as people age and mature, they begin to see things in a slightly different light! About Naruto's necklace, yes it is one of its functions; Of course its power is not unlimited or absolute; All will be explained in later chapters. Now about Kabuto: If you remember Orochimaru's conversation with Kimimaro before he was consumed, you'll see that he mentioned Kabuto would not be able to heal again; His life was not in danger. As for the reason Naruto was hurt by the chakra scalpel, think of it like a blade coated with poison. Someone who is immune to the poison will still get cut. But yes, everyone else who is not resistant to the chakra like Naruto will have ...side effects! Thanks for giving me the chance to explain my reasoning behind the whole age thing!  
To start off, from Danzo's flashback in the manga, it is plausible to assume that Danzo and Sarutobi were roughly the same age. Also remember the fact that Jiraiya, Sarutobi's student is 51 years old pre time skip. By the flashbacks he had about his genin test, we see that Sarutobi was at least in his middle twenties when the members of the Sannin were as old as Naruto pre time skip. It's been about forty years since then, so when he died, Sarutobi was about sixty five years old. So Danzo ending up with a son who is is about thirty-six/seven years old is not something odd; He was about 28 years old when he was born; A logical age to become a father, maybe a bit late for a ninja considering their live expectancy!

untold62: Glad you like it!

Naginator: The way I thought the whole after-battle scene with Sasuke, he was in fact pissed right after he was defeated, but maybe.... I don't think I can stress this enough...MAYBE he did change a bit, seeing that Naruto's way had actually proved to be working, but as you said, we'll see!

deltabeta26: The way part 1 ended was not the best one for me too. Which is why I decided to change it in this story! I also found it weird that nobody waited for Naruto near the gates when he left... I mean Sasuke met Sakura and no one knew he was leaving! Way for them to show they care, huh? About the Jin Shimura thing, yeah, I was saving it for that exact moment right from the start of this fic.... And even more surprising things are in store for those who continue to read this story!

JKArcanus: I understand your reasons, although I still stand by my original decision concerning Naruto's punishment;I knew from the moment that I pressed the 'publish' button on my computer that this story would not please everyone who reads it; The reason I posted it is because I liked it and thought that possibly others would to. I truly support every decision I have made since day one, and that will not change; If it did , this would not be the story I initially liked and wanted to' publish'. In any case, thank you for taking the time to write down your thoughts in a very constructive way, it is appreciated.

By the way, if any of you are interested in beta reading this story, send me a PM!

Moving on to the 9th chapter of NAToD ( Naruto: A Tale of Determination)

**Chapter 9: In Three Years' Time**

_Year 1, day 1_

_I can't believe Ero-Sennin could be so stupid....Making me write this stupid diary, every day no less....' It will be good writing practice for you; You'll need it if you are to continue your teacher's most important art!'.... I just wish i was fast enough to hit him with my Rasengan when he said that... At least Jin-san is with us; He makes the best ramen outside of Konoha! _

_o---o_

_Year 1, Day 20_

_Finally, after two weeks of moving around, we have found an appropriate training ground; Ero-Sennin says that i will have to focus on my Taijutsu for now; I think he said my stance sucks or something... I swear one of these days i will definitely catch him off guard and drive a Rasengan through him! It's a promise! I also asked Jin-san to teach me some of those awesome Jutsus he used against that Orochimaru, but he only smiled and said that he'd teach if i learn to make decent ramen first....Weird guy..._

_o---o_

_Year 1, Day 50_

_I can't believe him; He says my Taijutsu has improved a lot and that we need to find a new spot to train, but i know why he's doing it. Jin-san told me the local hot springs had to close because of the complaints of the women there; They all said that they could hear the giggle of an old man coming from a dark corner somewhere near them when they were bathing.... Dammit , why did i end up with him of all people?!_

_o---o_

_Year 1, Day 70_

_After many attempts, i have finally made a dish of miso ramen that could be eaten! Jin-san says I'm a natural cook.... Somehow, it sounded worse when he said it.... I wish i was a natural ninja... My perverted teacher doesn't think i am, at least; Ever since i told him about the tree near the Kyuubi's cage, he has been obsessed with teaching me to control the Kyuubi's chakra... I mean , how can he even do that? He doesn't have a beast inside him....Does he?_

_o---o_

_Year 1, Day 100_

_I feel awful... All this time i wished i could hurt Sensei, but now that i actually did, i really regret it; I knew controlling the Kyuubi's chakra was a bad idea; Jin-san said that my necklace reacted almost immediately when i lost control; I think that Ero-Sennin would be in trouble if it wasn't for it; After the attack Ero-Sennin asked me to see if anything happened to the Kyuubi's cage. Everything seemed alright with the cage, but the tree was different; It had way fewer branches and its leaves were slightly yellow..._

_o---o_

_Year 1 Day 150_

_It's been weeks since we stopped on this training field; There's nothing much here besides rocks of all sizes.... We have been practicing Taijutsu all this time but Ero-Sennin said that, starting tomorrow, we will focus on improving my strongest jutsu, the Rasengan. Jin-san told me he too had some ideas about it that if I could master, i would improve greatly! I can't wait to start!_

_o---o_

_Year 1 Day 200_

_I have finally completed a bigger version of my Rasengan! I call it the Oodama Rasengan; It's at least double the size of the normal one to boot! I don't think I mentioned this in any of the other entries, but I am now able to form my full power Rasengan with one hand only and almost as fast as that Ero-Sennin! I always knew I was awesome!_

_o---o_

_Year 1 Day 300_

_I did it! I made ramen good enough to pass Jin-san's test! He said he'd teach me a pretty basic thing; How to use the chakra strings. At first I wasn't excited at all, but then he told me that I could improve my chakra control faster than with any of the other techniques we use in Konoha! I also get to prank on that perverted teacher of mine; I really owe him for those non stop drills he keeps making me do the last three months! I do think I am getting a bit faster though...._

_o---o_

_Year 2 Day 1_

_Damn that Jin-sensei! He is even worse than the perverted Sage! He has put some kind of weight seals on all my clothes and says that unless I want to walk around naked, I have to bear with it...Man, they all weigh like a ton each.... Even my boxers! I can't tell the Ero-Sennin to remove them... I have far more pride than that!_

_o---o_

_Year 2 Day 20_

_I asked Ero-Sennin to remove my seals.... Stupid pervert doubled the weight instead... I was just getting used to them too. I know this is part of the training but the way they did it sucks...And just how the hell can trousers be so heavy but can be attached to my waist without falling on the ground? Not that I'm complaining about it , of course!_

_o---o_

_Year 2 Day 50 _

_I will KILL them both! All this time and they did not even bother to tell me the secret behind the Kage Bunshin! ' You have to earn the right to know', 'You were not ready yet.'... What louzy excuses... Well, at least now I can train harder and more quickly than ever! Jin-sensei said something about chakra nature manipulation....or something. If it's half as useful as it sounds, I think I will be busy for some time!_

_o---o_

_Year 2 Day 51_

_I have a wind affinity! Jin-sensei gave me some special paper and when I put chakra to it, it was cut in half! The thing is that Jiraiya-sensei is not a wind type, so he does not know any related jutsus, but Jin-sensei is hiding something from me... Anyway, they told me that I have to complete three exercises to master the wind element. I guess that with my new Kage Bunshin method, I will learn it in a few hours!_

_o---o_

_Year 2 Day 60_

_Wind element training complete! Jin-sensei told me that he knows many Fuuton Ninjutsu as it's one of his two primary affinities, the other being fire; I thought one can only have one primary affinity.... Weird and suspicious!_

_o---o_

_Year 2 Day 100_

_I have learned most of the wind Jutsus Jin-sensei had to teach; I would have never imagined that Rasengan was an incomplete technique, even more so that Ero-Sennin could not complete it! I decided to be the first one to do it! I can't wait to see the look on both their faces when they see it!_

_o---o_

_Year 2 Day 105  
_

_Even though I have gotten used to the seals on my clothes so much that I don't even notice them, I asked Jin-sensei to remove them or increase the weight. It was a smart move on my part, because he said he was too bored to do it every time and that he would teach me how to do it instead! Fuuinjutsu lessons start tomorrow! Ero-Sennin naturally said that I should not tire myself too much and put his own lessons on hold indefinitely; I know that as I write these lines he's off somewhere with lots of naked beautiful women....Pervert....._

_o---o_

_Year 2 Day 150_

_The expressions on my senseis' faces were priceless as I showed them the newly complete Fuuton: Rasengan! It was worth it practicing only when Ero-Sennin left for his research and Jin-sensei was napping! Now there is only one step left!_

_o---o_

_Year 2 Day 160_

_I saw Jin-sensei reading a book today... Legends of a Gutsy Ninja or something, I'm not sure. When I asked him about it, he said he would hand it over to me when I finish my studies in fuuinjutsu..... If he did not want me to read it, he could have said so.... I guess it'll be at least a year even with my Kage Bunshins' help. I hope it's worth it!_

_o---o_

_Year 2 Day 200_

_I am getting bored; Besides Jin-sensei's sealing lessons, Ero-Sennin has not taught me anything new yet! We have been sparing everyday for hours. When I asked him about it, he said that we will continue this for the rest of the year and that he has already planned the place where we will go for the at least one year of training....Damn pervert didn't tell me though!_

_o---o_

_Year 3 Day 1_

_Myok... Toad Land! It makes sense, but I never thought where they came from before. And they grow very fast too! Gamakichi could fit in the palm of my hand before I left Konoha and now he is as tall as me! I bet he will be almost as big as Boss Gamabunta by the time we leave! Ero-Sennin said something about his teachers meeting us tomorrow... I think he really feels at home here..._

_o---o_

_Year 3 Day 2_

_Who would have thought the smallest toads are actually the strongest ones? i guess it makes just as much sense as anything here... Jiraiya-Sensei told me that they will teach me the ways of the Sages! I can hardly wait! Jin-sensei said that my progress in Fuuinjutsu is better than expected... It seems i have learned all he has to teach me about it. I will ask Ero-Sennin for more lessons since Jin told me the old man is on a whole other level in the art. He also gave me the book he was reading._

_o---o_

_Year 3 Day 10_

_I finished reading the book Jin-sensei was reading.... I couldn't help but imagine myself as the main character in these adventures, especially since..._

Naruto flipped the next page to continue his entry of the day, only to discover that there was no other page for him to write on.

" It's been so long... I never thought I would even get to use half the pages here...", the blond murmured to himself. After a minute of consideration, he turned to the inside of the front cover, which also was white and smirked as he wrote one more phrase.

_'And so the leaf separates from the tree and moves forward, carried away by the wind, to its next adventure.'_

He always admired the Third's favourite phrase, so much that he decided to think of his own; He had been trying to think of the right words since before he left Konoha. He young boy knew it was far from the elder Hokage's words in meaning and value, but it really was a match for his own personality. So focused he was on it that he did not notice the figure standing right behind him.

" What's that phrase? You have already thought up a speech for the day you are announced as the next Hokage , gaki?", Jiraiya commented in a light tone, " Only you would do that! Let's get some training done! This time we will try fusing with one of the elder toads each; You need to experience this in order to be accustomed to it when you use it in battle."

Naruto for his part was about to get back at his sensei for his first words, but the word 'training' was good enough for him to let it slide. Standing up, he followed him to their usual grounds they had been sparing during their toads were expecting them there, bickering amongst themselves until they noticed their presence and stopped.

" Ah there you are , Jiraiya-chan, Naruto-chan!", greeted them the female toad before hopping on the Toad Sage's shoulder. " I will fuse with Jiraiya-chan, while Tou-chan will assist Naruto-chan.... I hope this won't take too long, I have dinner to prepare!", the female elder toad said in a squeaky voice as Naruto's face paled; He silently thanked Kami Jin-sensei was with them and provided some edible food.

The two toads bought their hands together simultaneously and whispered the jutsu's name.

The results were immediate; The female toad appeared to be stuck on the white haired man's shoulder, but the exact opposite happened in the other pair's case.

" What is wrong Fukasaku-sensei? You should be attached to the gaki now..."

The said elder Toad observed Naruto from hair to toes, his brows burrowed the whole time before speaking up.

" I cannot fuse with Naruto-chan... It seems the Kyuubi inside him did not allow it.... Most likely in an attempt to have Naruto seek only its own power...".

Naruto clutched the place the seal was, his thoughts racing at what exactly this revelation meant.

" So... All this training...All this effort .... It was all for nothing?" Receiving no answer, he continued.

" I have to know i am going to battle to gather chakra beforehand, and only be able to stay in Sage Mode for five minutes? Ten if i stick to basic moves? There must be some other way!", he finished confidently, although the faces he was looking at told him otherwise.

" I'm sorry Naruto-chan, but this is the only way the Sage Mode can be effectively utilised....", Fukasaku trailed off, while Jiraiya rubbed his chin.

" And you could even handle the Nature chakra better than me.... What a waste! Of both time and talent!" Naruto's frustration disappeared at that last phrase; He had never heard his perverted teacher calling him talented before.

_' And to think that was actually thinking on giving up on this...'_, he thought as he grinned widely.

" Well, I guess i will have to think of a new way to do so , huh?"; Putting up his left fist, he stated in the most confident tone he had used in a long time. " I will find out another way to fight as a Sage!"

" You really are a stupid gaki...Even after all this time... "; A hint of pride was noticeable in his words as the member of the Sannin looked fondly at his apprentice and successor of the Sage arts.

o---o

o---o

o---o

"Ouch! Go easy on my head Sensei! It's starting to tilt sideways from all the knobs!", said an irritated Naruto at the stick-holding elder toad. The small amphibian just sighed, he knew the boy was just frustrated with his lack of progress.

' It has been nearly a week after all.... Even he can withstand only so much...', he thought calmly as he watched the boy in front of him rubbing the newly formed mass on his head.

" Any luck yet, Naruto-kun?", a voice from behind them was heard as Naruto turned to face his sensei.

" Not really Jin-sensei.... We have tried everything; Even making clones to gather chakra for me is not really cutting it; I have to hide them to work properly and it limits the number i can use to fight....And that's the best he come up with...", he said in an almost defeated tone that made the brown haired man frown. He spoke nonetheless.

" Have you considered fusing with your Kage-Bunshin? I mean, Kyuubi would not identify your clone as a treat and force him out like Fukasaku-sama here... "; Naruto's eyes shot up immediately at this, his eyes filled with hope.

" He's right Fukasaku-sensei! Teach me how to fuse with my clone!", he said, fighting his urge to start cheering at his sensei's innovative idea. The toad though did not share his excitement in the least.

" I can't do that Naruto-chan..", he said as the blond suddenly stopped moving," A being cannot fuse with itsself, even if it is just a clone... Besides, if Naruto-chan used our method, he would have to only his legs merged with the original, probably in the back where there is enough space, leaving the rest of his body out in the open, an easy target, especially if you consider that one hit is enough to dispel it... And he would look like an abomination no less...."

Both the mens' faces became more pale as Fukasaku continued to explain the situation. He was about to say more, but the blond interrupted him, his hands moving frantically to get his attention. " Okay, okay, we get your point, Fukasaku-sensei, no need to go into even more detail!"; Breathing out heavily, he only added as he hung his shoulders a bit, " So , we're back on square one again...."

"Not necessarily... I also had one other thing in mind..."; The blond once again looked at his teacher expectantly, and Fukasaku was actually impressed by the unique solutions Jin had thought of. _' As expected of Jiraiya-chan's student.'_

" This one is a bit more drastic... That's why i wanted to use this as a last resort....", he mumbled the last part as he received their curious looks.

" This is a jutsu my father developed.... It is a Juinjutsu actually...", he hesitantly said as the elder toad displayed a shocked look, while Naruto could not stop himself from asking; " What's this Juinjutsu thing? Is it useful? Can you teach me?I promise i will stu-"

" Explain yourself now young one before I lose my patience and show you your place for even mentioning this kind of technique!", the small toad said as Naruto sensed him already gathering a remarkable amount of Nature chakra.

" It is a special type of storage seal that allows for living.... beings up to the size of humans.... to be placed inside it for an indefinite amount of time... The sealing itself is not harmful to the user or the one to be ...stored, for a lack of a better word, and it only requires a sacrifice to be formed, not to change what it stores...."; Fukasaku was still observing his every move, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

" Enough Sensei, there is no need to fight!"; Yet another voice interrupted the scene. In a split second, Jiraiya was next to Jin, his hand on the brown haired man's shoulder in a sign of trust.

" I trust Jin; I have to say that i don't like this method either, but it seems to be our only remaining option at this point.", he plainly stated as Naruto finally found time to ask the question he wanted to from the beginning of the discussion.

" Just what is this Juinjutsu anyway?". Glancing over at Jin's direction, he added in a questioning look, "Jin-Sensei?". It was the white haired man beside him that gave the answer.

" A Juinjutsu is a Cursed Seal technique gaki; Similar to the one my teammate gave yours...", he added in a matter-of-fact tone as if not realising the importance of his words. Naruto was speechless now.

' Like the one Orochimaru used on Sasuke?', he thought as many questions began popping on his mind rapidly before one finally devoured all others.

" Jin-sensei..... Just who is your father?... And who are you?"; he whispered slowly as the man his questions were addressed to looked down, his expression unreadable. Finally tilting his head up, he answered.

" I cannot answer that...", his answer angered the boy, who was about to retort, but was interrupted as the older man continued. " It is not that I don't want to; It's because I literally can't." At that, he opened his mouth, showing everyone the seal on his tongue. The boy was still stunned as he continued. " My father gave it to me; I have it since i can remember myself. Its function is to prevent me from talking about him."

" What kind of father does that to his child?", wondered Naruto out loud; Jin only smirked at his comment. " He has issues, just like everyone else i guess...."; Eager to change the subject, he continued. " Do you want to go through with this after all you've heard?"

All eyes turned to Naruto, who seeked his other teacher's council using a questioning look. " It is your choice entirely gaki.... I cannot tell you how far _you_ are willing to go to accomplish your goals...", was the only answer Jiraiya gave. Considering his options a little while longer, he thought about the sacrifices he needed to make to get the necessary power.... Sacrifices.

" What about the sacrifice? You said it would need a sacrifice to work....", he hastily pointed out, worried about what kind of sacrifice it was exactly. Jin's reply all but calmed him; " Let me worry about that... "

_' He did not answer! Why did he not answer?... I need this to be able to use Sage Mode, but what is its cost? How far am I willing to go to get this power?...... If I accept, will I be any better than Orochimaru?'_. Everyone on the ouside knew there was currently a battle going on inside the blond, and they patiently waited for its outcome.

_' No... If I stop here I will not be able to defend Konoha... I will not be able to become the Hokage.... I will fail everyone that believes in me....'_; The boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, finally reaching his decision.

_' I will do it! I will do anything for them.... Even bear this guilt so that they can be alive and happy...'_; Letting his breath out, he locked eyes with Jin, his determination and resolve obvious as he spoke in a firm and calm voice.

" I accept."

o---o

o---o

o---o

-MEANWHILE,UNKNOWN LOCATION-

" ArrrrrrggggghhhhHHH!"

The screams of a boy echoed through the near empty halls of the underground maze. Everyone that heard them shivered at the thought of what was causing such a reaction to him; They had all seen his cold and stoic attitude when he first joined them, and it had only grown worse over the years; Uchiha Sasuke was, with the training and special preparation drugs given to him by their master, an unknown quality among them; His battle prowess was anyone's guess, but one thing they knew for sure; They were not to look him in the eye.

Failure to do so resulted in a very unpleasant situation nobody wanted to remember.

Near the source of the screams were two people, calmly discussing the progress of the boy behind a reinforced glass wall that also served as a one way mirror, allowing them to see inside the room, but not letting anyone look at them.

" Are you sure this is the right approach Orochimaru-Sama? It has not yielded any results to date."

" Be patient Kabuto.... We have three years ahead of us still... To find the perfect genjutsu for Sasuke-kun... And all will be within my grasp.", said the snake-like member of the Sannin while a wide smile formed on his face.  
" Those mindless barbarians never could understand the fabrics of their own minds.... They do not deserve the gift their blood gives them....So focused they were on slaughtering their clansmen that they did not consider the most effective method to awake their hidden power..."

Kabuto only smirked at his Superior's words. " Not everyone is a genius like you Orochimaru-sama.... To trick the subconscious side of Sasuke-kun's mind into thinking that he performed the deed of killing his closest friend and forcing out the Mankekyo's power is not something the common mind can wrap itself around.", Orochimaru only giggled.

" Yes, it was very fortunate that Sasuke-kun decided to share with us the conditions under which that special eye is obtained... But i can't help thinking i overestimated his intelligence.... I was sure he ,of all people, would perfectly understand what we would do to bring it out."

" Maybe that's why he did it...", added Kabuto, ".. So that he will be able to use it against you now that you have trained him...." He could not finish his phrase as the pale skinned man started laughing heartily. The silver haired man stood there, silently waiting for his reply when finally Orochimaru regained his composure.

" Do you think that he will be able to use it the moment he activates it for the first time, Kabuto?"; The said person looked intrigued as his master continued." And why ddo you presume that i am here during all times he is put under the genjutsu?.... I will enter his body the moment he awakens the Mangekyo and then.." He smiled once again, this time striking fear even to the man standing next to him. " I will deal with Akatsuki once and for all!"

After a moment of silence, he spoke again. " I think Sasuke-kun rested for long enough... Kabuto, if you will be so kind?"; At the last part, the Sound-nin grinned. "My pleasure, Orochimaru-sama", he answered before leaving his master's company to enter the isolated room Sasuke was located at.

The member of the Sannin watched his subordinate forcibly open the raven haired boy's eyes and, after placing a special instrument on his face to ensure that they remained open, he rapidly formed handseals and looked at the boy.

" How soothing...." , Orochimaru slowly whispered as his next vessel's screams once again filled the whole base.

o---o

o---o

**Author's Notes**

Thanks for reading Chapter 9 of NAToD( Naruto: A Tale of Determination) ! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it.

Through the 'diary-like' storytelling, I tried to briefly show the progress Naruto made, his bonding with his teachers and, if i actually pulled it off, to show that he has grown a bit since he left the village; I am unsure whether that last point came across to you readers and would really like your opinion on whether or not I was successful!

I also tried to show by the decision Naruto had to make that, unlike the Black/White choices that are portrayed in canon, in the world only shades of grey exist. I did this in an effort to show Naruto's resolve mainly, and i hope that did not come across as too OOC on his part, because of his reasoning. Do not get ahead of yourselves though and draw your own conclusions!

About Sasuke's mental 'torture', yes i think this is something that would actually work even with the canon rules.... I hope that you agree with me. As a side note, i once read a story, i do not remember its name, but in it Naruto had the Sharingan but in a different form or something; Anyway, in that story, Naruto's Sharingan would gain more tomoe by accumulating kills, like: 20 kills and you gain the second tomoe..... 100 kills and Naruto gained the Mangekyo. Now, i have nothing against that author and his work was very good indeed, but it seemed a little too much like a Pokemon leveling up to me. That's when i came up with my theory.

To that Author: If you are reading this, i have to say that, once again, i have nothing against your fic and i am certainly not bashing you or it!I do remember your writing style was good, it was just a matter of preference!

Finally, i want to inform you that i have started another story, which is partly a challenge from deltabeta26 and partly from discussions I have had with him. Check my profile if you are interested in reading it. I have to say that this story will still be my main focus. And once again, if anyone is interested in beta'ing this story, PM me!

Next Chapter will be dedicated to Naruto's return to Konoha, with only a very brief mention to the rest of the three years training. It's not fun to know everything before the fights begin, right?


	10. The Seal

**DISCLAIMER**

**I do not own the anime or manga Naruto in any way, shape or form!**

**A Few Words**

A thank you to everyone that read this story so far, a bigger to those that added it to their Fav's or Alerts list, and the biggest yet to those that took the time to review:** deltabeta26, mentalkid, ArashiKage Naruto, geetac, redxdragon, JKArcanus, Shinichi06, deno, InARealPickle  
**

My answers:

o---o

**deltabeta26**: It's good that you liked my approach on the time skip, as for your other answers, they will (mostly!) be answered in this chapter.

**mentalkid**: I consider the fact that Naruto defeated Pain in the canon to be much similar to the way Pain killed Jiraiya: He did not know of his abilities. Also keep in mind that Naruto had the time to prepare his clones and have them gather nature chakra in a safe place, undisturbed. By the time pain figured Naruto out all his bodies besides Yahiko had been destroyed.

**ArashiKage Naruto**: It's nice to know the way i decided to show Naruto's first three years training was appreciated!

**geetac**: Glad you liked it!

**redxdragon**: I always enjoyed writing about Jiraiya's perverted adventures and i truly think that was the way he behaved during the canon training trip too! About the seal, it is revealed in detail in this chapter.

**JKArcanus**: Glad you decided to read this far after all! I also enjoyed writing the journal entries, with Jiraiya there, it just gives too many opportunities for a comic relief to ignore! Regarding Sasuke's training, I imagined that was a realistic thing to do, I mean if Orochimaru was in a position to know of Izanagi ( since he assisted Danzo in creating his sharingarm, he must have demanded some answers in exchange), it is poor design on Kishi's part, in my opinion , that he chose to ignore it when he had Sasuke around. As for Naruto learning about his father, read and see! I hope you enjoy this little deviation!

**Shinichi06**: It really means much to me what you said about not minding Jin, compared to other OC's. I strive to correct any mistakes, grammatical or other, but one pair of eyes can only do so much. I usually read each chapter five times before posting it but due to the fact that I know what's written next, I sometimes unconsciously skip some words.

**deno**: Thanks for taking the time to share your opinion with me. At this point I have to say that if anyone else thinks the fights I have written are a bit boring, please say so, I am far from being an experienced author and I would greatly appreciate it if you are specific about what you did not like, for example ' It was too long', 'Way too much detail' , ' The same things keep happening', etc. Remember, telling me what you did not enjoy much concerning my writing skills will most likely result in the improvement of said thing!

**InARealPickle**: First off, thank you for taking the time to review. I respect your opinion that my decision with Tsunade's punishment was the most retarded thing she has ever done in a fanfic. Needless to say, I strongly disagree; It is clear to me that you have not ever been a part of the military to see how similar real life situations are treated. As one who has, I inform you that Naruto got off the hook lightly for his deeds. It was merely a more realistic portrayal of what the consequences of his actions should be...

o---o

Moving on to the next chapter of NAToD ( Naruto: A Tale of Determination)

**Chapter 10: The Seal  
**

o---o

" I accept."

Jin just nodded while Fukasaku and Jiraiya stayed silent, neither praising nor berating the blond boy in front of them for his choice; Surprised by the response he got, Naruto went on to ask for the specifics of the seal.

" Jin-sensei, tell me more about the seal; Ero-Sennin said it was the same kind as Orochimaru's technique...". The brown haired man let out a deep breath and began to explain.

" It is a Juuinjutsu indeed and there is good reason for it to be called as such; It was developed by my father while he was in command of one of ANBU's branches, Root." he said as he motioned the boy to have a seat in a nearby tree stump.

" ANBU take all kinds of missions, from missing-nins assassinations to suspect retrieval; As you understand, since most of these assignments took place in foreign countries, discretion was of vital importance, both for the mission's success and the safety of Konoha. Each of the different ANBU branches had their own commander-in-chief, who approached the subject from different points of view; My father's answer to it was this jutsu. Being an expert in both Fuuinjutsu and Juuinjutsu, he created this seal to allow the one who bore it to seal one living human being inside it for an indefinite amount of time.".

The elder Toad was shocked by the revelation, as was Naruto, but Jin continued nonetheless. " It was a complete success; After the seal was formed, all it required for the sealing was the drawing of a small array on the top of the target's head and a few handseals; Once finished, the captive would still be conscious inside a special space...."

" A room? Why? Couldn't you just have him in a coma or something?" cut in the blond, but his instincts told him there was more to it than that. True enough, the older man answered.

" And now we come to the last and most important function of the seal and the reason behind its name....Gomon Heya (Torture Room).... Acting in a similar way as an advanced genjutsu, everything around the victim could be manipulated according to the one who had seal; Seeing four unbreakable walls closing in on you without any way to escape, swimming in an endless ocean full of boiling water.... Anything a mind can think of was possible in there.....It took little time for even the most strong willed shinobis to reveal their secrets in exchange for a non-hostile environment....."

" Jin-chan....Are you sure about this? It seems like an ineffective way considering Naruto-chan's ....special condition....", Fukasaku glanced over at the blond and brought his eyes back to the young man.

" I trust Naruto-kun can handle It; Sealing a Kage-bunshin inside him and allowing him to gather the Nature chakra is a perfect option for him, since he has great skill with them, even more than me and Jiraiya-sensei... Also, unlike the merging method, the clone will be completely protected from enemy attacks.... I have to make the necessary changes to the main seal arrays to allow the chakra exchange, but I will be ready by tomorrow; Make sure you are too Naruto-kun...". With that, Jin stood up and slowly moved away from them, his crutch supporting him as always.

Everyone watched him, the only sound being that of wood making contact with the ground, becoming more distant with every step; Once nothing could be heard , Naruto turned to the White haired man standing on the other side of the small clearing they were in.

" So, Gomon Heya is classified as a Juuinjutsu because of the fact that it is made to torture other people...."; He felt disgusted with his sensei's methods but more so with himself for agreeing; He never expected something like that.

_' He did say that it was similar to Sasuke's seal after all....'_

Realising he needed to act like a responsible teacher, Jiraiya decided it was time to open the blond's eyes to another truth of the world.

" Gaki, pull out a kunai from your pouch...". The blond did not object and did as asked.

" Look at it and tell me what do you see."

The Uzumaki frowned; He really was beginning to think that his sensei was going through a withdrawal phase due to the lack of girls to use for his 'research', but decided to humour him; Gazing at the metal weapon, he tried to take in every little detail; The sharp edges, the small dents and cuts it had from all the times he had used it to deflect other projectiles, some drops of blood, probably his, that stained the otherwise white cloth that was wrapped around the handle. Seeing nothing unusual about it, he gave the simplest answer he could think of.

" It's a weapon Ero-Sennin..."

" Is it really... Do you know why ninjas change their shurikens and kunais all the time Naruto?". The blue eyed young man did not respond verbally, but moved his head, showing he did not. Jiraiya just smirked.

" It is because the blood destroys the edges gaki.... No matter how well it is cleaned after the battle is over, rust always prevails, caused by the blood of the slain.... The fact that you did not even know that proves one thing: You say what you carry is a weapon, but in all honesty, it is a shield to you, Naruto; A shield to protect yourself and those you care about.... I am sure you will use Jin's seal in the same way..."

Seeing the boy struggle to completely understand what was said, the Toad Sage turned to his own master. " I think it's time we looked for Shima-sama, Fukasaku-sensei.... I think she will be calling us for dinner son..."  
The elder agreed and hopped to his apprentice's back as the white haired man moved to the small hut that they were being housed all this time, leaving the boy to his thoughts.

_' A shield.....'_

o---o

o---o

o---o

-MEANWHILE, UNKNOWN LOCATION-

The sound of a swarm of chirping birds accompanied by several rays of blue light filled the dark room: They had been doing so for the better half of the last hour under a watchful set of red eyes. Uchiha Sasuke found it greatly helped him visualise his battle with his brother; How he would at last accomplish his most important goal in life, and let his clan rest in peace, satisfied by the punishment their killer had finally received. He did not bother to end his technique as he sensed Orochimaru and Kabuto outside his door, but was surprised to see another one with them; A red haired girl about his age, with eyes of the same color staring at him behind a pair of glasses. She did not speak , but her face lighted up when she saw him.

Orochimaru observed her reaction and smiled; Turning to the raven haired boy, he spoke in his ever hissing tone. " Sasuke-kun.... You know well that you should take this time to rest; Your training will yield much better results if you do.... Medication alone can't remove the strain from your body. That is why.", he grinned while pushing the girl gently inside the room, " I have brought you a little toy to play with... Do me a favour and don't break it right away... It will be a bit hard to replace it in the immediate future...."

" I don't care about this shit Orochimaru..... Take your stupid trash and let me rest.... You do want me to awaken my Mangekyo, don't you?"

" Watch your tongue Sasuke-kun! This is Orochimaru-sama you are talking to! Even after all this time you sti-"

" It is quite alright Kabuto....Sasuke-kun seems to be angry right now; We must be on the right track with his mental ...training. In any case, I will leave it here in case you change your mind; And as I told you, don't break it from the start because I doubt we can have another one brought here before next week...". The member of the Sannin left Sasuke's room followed by his most loyal underling, who closed the door behind him.

" I am Karin, Orochi-", the girl tried to introduce herself only to be stopped prematurely.

"I don't care who you are....", the Uchiha coldly said , while his mind was trying to focus. _' I know what you are trying to do Orochimaru.....I will play along... For now...'_

_" _Take your clothes off..."_, _he said in the same tone as he finally deactivated his jutsu._  
_

A few meters away, Kabuto was about to express his worries about the Snake's newest plan. " Are you sure it will work Orochimaru-sama?He will dispose of her right away; I think we will hear her screaming any moment now."

The pale man just grinned widely. " You will hear it screaming Kabuto, but I don't think they will be screams of pain....Sasuke-kun will perform just like I have predicted he will; He cannot see past his own need to revive his clan...Even if he awakens his Mangekyo Sharingan and I successfully possess him, I will still lose the eyes because of their damaging properties; And once that happens, I will need another body to regain them; All it takes is one newborn Uchiha, Kabuto.... One of them under my control since birth, who will grow up to do as I say.... I will have him, or her for that matter, reproduce constantly, providing me with many fresh new bodies to experiment on, inhabit, even to possibly remove the current limitations of the Eye.... Maybe the Sharingan can be further enhanced by having siblings mate to strengthen the blood.... I will uncover every secret there is to uncover... That is the reward of Immortality!"

Kabuto looked at his master stunned; He had been told that Karin's purpose was to bring a successor of the Uchiha, not to create an Uchiha breeding farm. Only one thought crossed his mind.

_' Orochimaru-sama truly is a genius beyond comprehension...'_

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o---o

-THE FOLLOWING DAY, MYOBOKUZAN-

" Hey, that tickles!", yelled a shirtless Naruto,, who was sitting next to a Jin slightly different than usual; He still wore his white merchant outfit, but he was now using his puppet leg with the help of his right hand, his left one holding a brush he was using to draw the necessary signs for the seal. ( **AN**: To imagine his outfit , think Tazuna's form the first arc, only with long, slightly loose sleeves and white!)

That was not the difference that confused the boy; After all ,he used his leg all the time they sparred, which was a lot less often than the time he sparred with Ero-Sennin, but still. What Naruto wondered about was the red wrapped cloth he had covered his entire left arm; The only other time he had seen him wear it was during the fight with Orochimaru and Kabuto. Of course, only the palm was visible to him, but he assumed that it would still be like that time.

" What's with the bandages ,Jin-sensei? You never used them before...". The older man pretended he did not hear him, and Naruto knew that, but he would definitely not back off; He wanted to know what was wrong. Sensing trouble ahead, the brown haired man hastily finished the last array and rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand.

" All done! Now, focus your chakra Naruto-kun ; I want you to direct all of it to your left shoulder; That's where the seal is going to form! I will do the rest."

" Wait, wait! What is going to be the sacrifice? Only you and me are here!". Jin just gave him a wide smile. Naruto's eyes widened in horror.

" Stop it sensei, I don't want that stupid seal! Don't do it!". Jin's hands flashed through many handseals in mere moments.

" Juuinjutsu..."

" STOP IT!", he stretched his hand to reach the older man, but he did not have time to stop the jutsu.

" GOMON HEYA!". Naruto felt all his chakra being drained in an instant; He lost his balance and fell face down, inches away from Jin.

_' Jin-sensei...'_ . Tears began to form in his eyes, threatening to flow to his cheeks. _' This is not what I asked fo-'_

" What are you doing still down there Naruto-kun? I'm offended, all that effort and you did not even spare a look at your new seal!"

" Jin-Sensei?..", he hesitantly looked up to see the figure of his sensei looking down to him, his left hand was being kept parallel to the ground by an additional bandage that went around his neck. He had the exact same smile as before.

The boy was still too weak to be irritated as he spoke. What happened? Nobody was harmed.... I thought you were going to use your life...."

Jin just laughed a bit. " You thought I was going to die to give you that seal? I think you overestimate me as a person Naruto-kun.... I mean, you are my student and I really care for you, but to sacrifice myself so that you can more effectively use Sage Mode, which you could still use without my help.... I think that's a bit too much, isn't it?"

The blond smirked; He did not have enough strength inside him to actually give one of usual foxy grins. " Yeah.... Yeah, it is , huh?".

Jin smiled fondly at the boy before turning his back on him. " Now then, I will go get Sensei; We will probably have to use a Reverse Summoning to get him here, he finally succumbed to his urges and left yesterday night... Don't ask me where he went...."

Naruto watched as his younger teacher became smaller with each step; His eyes picked up something as he moved. He saw some kind of dust falling from his left sleeve every time he set his foot down.

_' What is that? Dust....No, it seems like.... Grains of sand? I can't tell....'._ Those were his last thoughts before his eyes closed shut.

o---o

o---o

o---o

Naruto groaned; His body sure healed fast, but that did not mean he was spared of _all_ the pain that a more normal person would go through; The light blinded him as he opened his eyes.

" Ah, you finally came to, kid.... I checked out that new seal of yours and I must say I like it!" Sitting up in his bed, he slowly started to become aware of his surroundings.

" Ero-Sennin?... Where were you all this time? You should have been here when Jin-sensei made the seal!". Naruto's voice could not possibly express all the anger the boy had toward his teacher that moment; The proceeded to glare at him, which made the Toad Sage rub the back of his head.

" Well... I had to plan out the rest of our trip and I really needed the inspiration...." The blond's look did not soften in the slightest. " Oh come on gaki, give me a break! The nearest human female is over a hundred miles away from here; If Tsunade hears of this slip up of mine, she'll never let it go!"

Naruto gave up for once in his life; Ero-Sennin would never stop being a perverted old man no matter the consequences. Jiraiya grinned and continued.

" Good, good, now that you've calmed down, why don't you look at your new asset before I tell you about the rest of our trip?". Having completely forgotten about it, the young Uzumaki glanced at his left shoulder and was thoroughly surprised by what he saw. A spiral tattoo that he had come to know too well in his childhood.

" What the hell? You gave me an ANBU tattoo?". Jin, who was until then observing Naruto's interaction with their Sensei, smirked. " Of course Naruto-kun; My father never wanted the secrets of his department out, and an additional seal-like tattoo is too obvious you know...So, he specifically made Gomon Heya look like that mark all ANBU carry to conceal it in common view.". Suddenly Naruto's face formed an exceptionally wide foxy grin.

_' Hehe....When we return I will ask Tsunade-baachan to get me in-'_

" No you will not ask Tsunade to get you inside the ANBU Naruto!" , came the old pervert's answer to the blond's thought. He in turn pouted. " Just for laughs... Like I would want to be an emotionless freak like them..." _' But they know some really nice jutsus...._'

Being apparently the adult of the group, Jin quickly cut in.

" Why don't you tell Naruto about the trip now Jiraiya-Sensei?"

" Ah yes, the trip....I think it's time that you start expanding your horizons a bit gaki; You have long since mastered the wind element, along with many jutsus of various levels; You even managed to incorporate your chakra nature to your Rasengan. Your Taijutsu skills are improving at an acceptable rate, so much that maybe you'll be an interesting opponent for me in the rest of our time... Of course, you still have to learn about dispelling genjutsus..."

" I'm sorry Sensei, but I think I need to clarify this now; You see, with the Gomon Heya, your clone could actually act as a natural dispeller, since it passively 'disturbs' your chakra by constantly adding Nature chakra to your system; All he has to do to free you from the genjutsu's grasp would be to change the amount he sends to you for a mere moment... Although I am not sure whether it will work on a genjutsu of Itachi's Tsukuyomi's caliber or not."

"You hear that gaki? It seems you got even luckier with this deal! Now, what I was about to say before I was interrupted..", he glanced at his older student's direction, who laughed awkwardly, before continuing. " You should start mastering another element; I was thinking Earth, since its main use it for defence and you already have an offensive type of nature under your belt."

The blue eyed young man looked at his teacher before firmly responding. " No."

" What do you mean 'No'? I thought you would jump at the chance to learn something new; Hell, you even looked excited when Jin agreed to teach you to use those useless chakra strings. CHAKRA STRINGS!"

" Hey, chakra strings are really useful!" , came Jin's answer from the back. Jiraiya was surprised to hear him speak like that; To his kind and polite student, addressing someone with 'hey' was equivalent to someone else use tons of insults.

" No offence Jin.", Said person just glanced away. Naruto took the initiative again.

" What I meant was that I do not want to learn how to use the earth element; I want to learn water manipulation!"

" Now where did that come from? Have you even seen one water jutsu in your life?", the perverted hermit was by now almost fuming; Naruto's smile infuriated him even more.

" Of course. As to why, come on, I mean my name practically means 'whirpool' and look at all those swirling patterns all around my clothes...", he pointed at his orange jacket, which was right in front of him; One on his left shoulder and one on the back." Plus every chuunin vest seems to have the same swirl on the back; Even the ANBU seal has one! I think it's all part of one big pattern, pointing at me learning to use water jutsus!"

Jiraiya suddenly calmed down and turned to his older student. " Are you sure the sealing was successful? Because he does not seem fine to me..."

Jin smiled sheepishly before answering. " He is a bit disoriented, isn't he? Well, it could be a temporary side effect from the process."

" I only hope it's temporary as you said..." , he tried to reason with the boy again. " Listen boy, I don't know if you learning to use the water element is some kind of divine destiny, but what I do know is that there is nobody to teach you; I am a fire and earth type, while Jin is a fire and wind type. Your choice is between fire and earth."

"Ok, ok, I get it; I pick earth then!"

_' That was easier than I thought... If I find out it was one of his pranks , he is dead!',_ the white haired man thought before talking again.

" Now that that's out of the way, I have also planned for you Fuuinjutsu lessons, to take you to the next level after Jin did all the explaining.... Now, while we do that, we'll be travelling around the countries, mainly because I want you to establish contact with all the members of my spy network; You never know when some piece of information might save your life. Now, for the most inportant part of the trip to come.."

Naruto looked at the perverted Sage with all seriousness, while Jin continued to observe the scene in front of him, having a very bad feeling about where this was going.

"... The most special place in the entire Earth Country, Musubi-chan's Hostess Club!"

_' Dammit Jiraiya-Sensei, why did you have to bring that up? I hope you don't say more than what's necessary...'_

" Why are you still mumbling about those perverted things Ero-Sennin? I thought you got over last night when you went missing!"

" You do not understand gaki.... The visit to Musubi-chan's is not only a form of entertainment; It is a rite of passage, marking the moment when a boy becomes a man!"

" But you know I'm underage! I can't anywhere near those kinds of places!". Jiraiya smirked at the boy's innocence.

" My word there is law kid; It's one of the few places that my Super Pervert qualities are recognised as supreme! Besides, you should know that the women of the Earth Country give the best head in the Elemental Nations!". Naruto's confusion was apparent.

" Give the best...What? It's something highly perverted, isn't it?". The white haired man only giggled lecherously before throwing one of his books at the blond.

" Page fifty-seven, paragraph two, three four and five...Maybe six too, I'm not sure....", he mumbled as he rubbed his chin, a distant look on his face.

Naruto blushed profoundly as he read the passage; By the end of paragraph six , his face was redder than a tomato. Throwing the book back at him, he started to wave his fists all around him.

" This is sick, and you Ero-Sennin, have some serious issues! I'll never allow any girl to do that disgusting thing!". Jiraiya laughed heartily before responding.

" Yeah right kid, your father said the same thing before I took him there along with Jin when we completed our first B-rank mission as a team! Jin, tell Naruto what you both thought about the kind lady's_ service_!"

_' Well that's Jiraiya-Sensei alright... He apparently did not slip up when Naruto learned the Rasengan, Wind manipulation in ten days, and even when he combined the two...But at the first mention of how good the Earth's women head-giving skills are, he made a mess...._'. Jin sighed at his teacher's antics when those thoughts came to mind.

Naruto looked at the Toad Sage with a look that could not be described accurately; It was a mix between awe, relief, anger, sadness, and most of all, confusion.

" The Fourth....Is my father?"

" Well...Yes , he is... We did not tell you yet because we wanted you to focus on your training and not asking us about your father all the time...", Jiraiya waited calmly for the yelling that was to come.

It never did.

" The Fourth is my father!", he said once more in an effort to convince himself. Not letting him think about it any further, the Toad Sage stood up and touched his shoulder.

" Yes , he was...Now, get up; I want to test that seal of yours in combination with Sage Mode.... In the next three years, you might as well surpass him....And maybe even the Third."

o---o

**Author's Notes**

Thanks for reading another chapter of NAToD ( Naruto: A Tale of Determination)

I hope you liked the explanation behind the Gomon Heya and the mechanics behind it. About Orochimaru's plan, I also think that since I, a mere normal man, could come up with it, an evil genius should have at the first moment he laid eyes on Sasuke; I mean Orochimaru's plan was to become immortal and Sasuke's body would last for a lifetime tops...

Lastly, I really feel it's unnecessary to say it because it's fundamental, but I will nonetheless: I do NOT share the views of Orochimaru ( Addressing Karin as 'it') or Jiraiya ( With his general attitude towards women) regarding women; In my eyes, both genders are equal. If by reading this anyone was offended , I apologise.

Let me know your thoughts on this chapter if you want to !

Also, if anyone is interested, check out my other story too, The Living Fire's Will, you may like it!

Next chapter will finally be Naruto's return to Konoha ( I really wanted to explain Gomon Heya better which is mainly why the chapter schedule was set back!)


	11. The Return to Konoha

**DISCLAIMER**

**I do not own the anime or manga Naruto in any way, shape or form!**

**A Few Words**

A thank you to everyone that read this story so far, a bigger to those that added it to their Fav's or Alerts list, and the biggest yet to those that took the time to review: **Naginator, Akira Stridder, VLS, j0hnni, justbin, Krisis, T00STr00nG.**

My answers:

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**Naginator**: I agree with you about water, but it simply will be much more beneficial for Naruto to learn earth Ninjutsu considering his teacher.

**Akira Stridder**: Kimimaro wasn't sick in my fic, and he was also around the same age as Kabuto, which is two-three years older than his canon age. About your second question, Kyuubi's chakra is very harmful to the common human, Naruto can withstand it because of the fact that he has 'grown with its presence' ( more on this in later chapters). Kabuto was hit on the chest by Naruto's arm that had a very high concentration of Kyuubi's chakra; Most people would have died, but he survived, although scarred, not being able to use healing techniques anymore, because it corrupted his chakra pathways. Imagine it like this: Kabuto's body managed to adapt to Kyuubi's chakra ( Sorry to say this again, but more will be revealed in later chapters)

**VLS**: Glad you liked it! And yes, I truly believe Orochimaru to be the most evil character in Naruto and his actions must reflect his disposition!

**j0hnni**: Of course he will learn to do so, I just stated that his seal will be of great use in that regard. Thank you for bringing this up and allowing me to clarify it. About how Naruto learned who his father was, I must say I truly hate all that Star Wars moment and in all the fanfics I've read nobody bothered to change it.

**Justbin**: Well, I have always considered Naruto to be a bit late to grow up in that regard, but by the time he returns to Konoha , he will be almost eighteen and will be a bit of a pervert, not unlike a normal guy would/should be. When I started this fic I had already thought of many techniques Naruto would use when he returned from his trip, and many are centered around the Rasengan; I have also hinted so in the last two chapters.

**Krisis**: Thanks!

**T00STr00nG:** I truly appreciate what you said about this story deserving more reviews, but as you know I can't express an unbiased opinion about it! That said, I am content with the number or people who decide to take a moment and share their thoughts with me, and of course more are welcome! I don't plan to have another time skip, one that would matter in any significant way at least. As for the pairing, I am not going to make this a Naru-Hina; Maybe the fact that I stated so in the first chapter cost me some readers, but I will stick to my original decision!

o---o

In the spirit of trying to make this story better, I decided to merge the first two chapters before posting the last one. This made those who had reviewed the original chapter 10 unable to review the latest chapter; I apologise to anyone who wanted to share his/her thoughts on chapter 10: The Seal but couldn't do so. You are more than welcome to include any thoughts regarding that chapter in this one's review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience!

Moving on to the next chapter of NAToD( Naruto: A Tale of Determination)

**Chapter 11: The Return to Konoha**

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The sound of a quill constantly rubbing against a piece of paper was dominating a book filled, dark office; The figure holding it working quietly and efficiently, patiently putting each document aside when it was finished. To her annoyance, a drop of sweat fell on the still wet ink, destroying the signature she had just written. The quill stopped and a sigh from a feminine voice replaced its sound. The back of her hand cleared her forehead, in the center of which a violet rhombus resided. Stifling a yawn, she supported her back on the comfy armchair she was sitting on.

_' I think it's time for a break; I have been working since yesterday night and it's morning now...'_

She slowly stood up and moved to the room's exit; She was about to twist the handle to open it when she visibly grinned.

' _Then again, maybe today I should use the other way out; It's been five and a half years since it was last used... Since Naruto left..."_

She opened the window and removed the wooden supports that were used to secure it during the time no one was inside; She closed her eyes as the sudden light temporarily blinded her. After regaining her sight, she stepped out eagerly as she mumbled to herself in playful tone.

" You really should start doing your work yourself Hokage-sama; I could really get in trouble if anyone sees me signing documents with your signature...", said Sakura Haruno while her left hand went over her short pink hair, moving it behind her ear. Placing power in her lower limbs, she easily jumped of the building and to a nearby roof, moving in a fast and carefree manner.

Feeling the wind on her face was a truly welcome change compared to the small office or the hospital she usually ended up working in almost all of her time. She instantly relaxed, releasing all the tension that came with all the paperwork she had been reading for hours and began to think about her free time.

_' So then, what now? I guess I will visit Tsunade-sama, she should be at the training ground spar-'_

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a yell that filled the village.

" I'M BACK KONOHA!"

_' I swear , these new genins are even louder than that baka teammate of mine...'; _She could not help but smile faintly at the mention of the blond. She was immensely surprised at what she heard next.

"**Oiroke: Onnanoko Dōshi no Jutsu!"**(Sexy: Girl on Girl Technique)

Her head turned so fast it almost snapped; She could only think of one person that would even consider using it, and combined with the previous phrase, it meant one thing.

_' Naruto...Already using that perverted jutsu...You haven't changed one bit...'_, she sighed while changing her course to match the direction the yells were coming from; Three seconds later, the pink haired girl spotted to two naked girls, gifted with otherworldly assets they were very proud of if one judged by the way they were displaying them to everyone, hugging each other in a very intimate manner.

_' This is it... I'll show you what happens to perverts around here! Tsunade-sama has taught me well how to deal with you!'_

She clenched her fist as green chakra began to surround it, her eyes completely focused on her target as she jumped yet another rooftop, aiming straight for the two girls on the street below.

" NARUTO!"

The gorgeous women stopped their hugging, which only resulted in revealing more of their amble breasts, and looked at her with a look that easily showed their fear.

" Sakura..."

She was mere inches away from them when the pink haired girl's ears caught the rest of the sentence.

"...-neesan..."

Her eyes widened at that word; She had been mistaken.

_' It's just Konohamaru.... Of course, how could I have forgotten about him...'_; The sadness she felt at the revelation did not reach her face, since she only smirked.

'_ At least he'll learn his lesson!'_. She raised her fist and prepared for the blow that was to come, although she severely reduced the amount of chakra she had in her punch previously; Sakura finally pushed her arm forward, almost in front of one of the too-good-to-be-true girls.

Much to Sakura's confusion, a slight breeze briefly brushed against her forearm, while Konohamaru and his Kage Bunshin were blown away a few meters by its force.

_' What the...?' _; She did not have time to finish the sentence as her hand connected with the ground, breaking it into hundreds of pieces of various sizes and spreading dust everywhere. Coughing profusely because of the dirt in the air, the short tempered girl tried to rationalise what she had just witnessed.

' I barely felt that wind but it was strong enough to push Konohamaru away... Must have been a jutsu...'

Swinging her palm around to breathe clear air, she saw Konohamaru sitting on the ground, his clone long since dispelled, with a pained expression on his face.

" Sakura-neesan, why did you do that for? You should know that it's a very important contest between Naruto-niisan and me...."

" Naruto? He's he-", she turned to face the other way mid sentence to see if the boy's words were true.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!", said a blond haired boy standing next to a much taller white haired man the girl recognised as another member of the Sannin, Jiraiya.

" Naruto!", she hastily walked closer to him and stood right in front of him for a minute to observe his change; He was wearing black shinobi pants that matched his new also black sandals, while a yellow long sleeved shirt with a blue swirl on the upper arms covered his chest. Above that was a robe-like piece of clothing that was exactly the same as his teacher's, with two differences: It was black instead of red, and the yellow dots also had a swirl each; The second one was that it was a bit longer, almost covering his knees.

" Wow, you've really changed..."; The blond grinned at the comment, pronouncing his whisker marks even more.

" You have changed too Sakura-chan...Huh, what's that on your forehead? It's just like Tsunade-baachan's..."

" Yeah, it's the same seal she has.... Welcome back!", she moved in and gave him a friendly hug which he returned. As she was pulling back, she whispered in his ear.

" If I see you use a perverted technique like Konohamaru I promise you I won't miss..."

The blond shivered at the thought, he had already seen how her punches crumbled the street. " Of course, of course; It's been ages since then."; Sakura sighed, mainly because she did not see his hand signalling an ok to praise the smaller boy, who smiled broadly, and vanished, eager to complete their 'competition' in the future.

" Well, I'll leave you two to catch up... It's been a while since I last 'researched' Konoha... There just is no place like home...", plainly stated the old man next to them, before forming a hand seal.

" I'll meet you in two hours at Ichiraku's..." were his last words before he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto saw Sakura's anger and decided to distract her, lest face the consequences.

" Your new outfit suits you; The seal seems nice too, you know!". Sakura laughed awkwardly at that comment, but answered nonetheless.

" You too; You look a bit like Jiraiya-sama, what with the longer hair and your coat..."

" You have no idea...", Naruto simply stated as a memory from the past surfaced violently in his mind.

o---o

o---o

o---o

-FLASHBACK, ONE AND A HALF YEARS AGO-

" Admit it Jin, he looks way better than with that orange nightmare he used to wear!", a smiling Jiraiya proudly said as he observed his newest apprentice. Jin, for his part, glanced at the boy only to be surprised by what was before him.

" I think you overdid it Jiraiya-sensei...", he slowly retorted as a Naruto dressed in the exact same way as the Gama Sennin stood in front of him.

" Nonsense! It's perfect! What do you say gaki?", the Perverted Sage eagerly asked, clearly waiting for a positive retort.

He was in for a surprise.

" No way I'm wearing this Ero-Sennin! First of all, there's not even a hint of orange anywhere, and second of all, this scroll on the back is too big and uncomfortable... Why do you have it anyway?". The smirk that formed on the older man's face meant that Naruto shouldn't have asked that question.

" Women always prefer the one with the biggest scroll... Remember this gaki....", his tone was sturdy and his expression dead-serious, like he had just explained a jutsu of vital importance. Jin sighed while Naruto slowly answered, growing more annoyed by the second.

"But in the end what matters is what's sealed inside and not its size, right? I mean, this scroll is empty and just for show.... And just why in Kami's sake would a woman be interested in a sealing scroll of all things?"

The white haired man giggled a bit before standing next to the boy and patting his shoulder.

" Keep dreaming kid...", he said as he formed the hand seal for the Shunshin no jutsu and was replaced by a cloud of smoke. The boy gazed the cloud for a few more seconds, replaying the scene in his mind, trying to figure out his sensei truly meant until it suddenly hit him; He briefly looked down before talking to his younger sensei.

" Sensei, was he saying this about...", he left his sentence unfinished but Jin, who obviously understood, nodded.

" What a pervert...", he slowly mumbled as he frowned.

_' I wonder if it's true...'_

o---o

o---o

o---o

" Naruto!", the blond heard a loud voice calling his name again, with an irritated tone no less.

" You had a distant look in your face for a minute there... Is everything ok?", a mildly worried Sakura asked. The Uzumaki laughed it off.

" Sure! More importantly, tell me about everyone; I see that you've become much stronger since I last saw you, but what about the others?". Sakura smirked in a way that would make Sasuke jealous.

" Walk with me...", was her only answer and her teammate gladly complied. Soon after, the pink haired girl began her explanations.

" Things have changed quite a bit since you left; You see, Konoha has , under the instruction of Tsunade-sama, adopted a somewhat different style of fighting: Inter Team Teamwork or ITT.", the blond gave her a confused glance.

" Inter Team Teamwork? Didn't our teams cooperate before? I'm sure that more than one teams used to work together even years ago...", he said, his hand rubbing his chin and his brows borrowed in thought.

" That is true, but there is a big difference between things then and now: You see, teams were encouraged to work together in certain missions, now it's obligatory. The reason for this change is that even if the desire to work together was there, team members simply did not know of each other's abilities; This led to confusion and in some cases one team hindered the other, resulting in unnecessary injuries, deaths and mission failures." she said in a matter-of-factly tone.

" That makes sense I guess... So what's this ITT's point?"

" It basically is very much like a normal four man cell, where one whole team represents each member. During the years, Tsunade-sama together with Shizune-neesan have formed those special teams so that each can undertake all kinds of missions, from simple border watch to Missing-nin assassinations; The members are very familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses and can cooperate very efficiently.", Sakura calmly explained, still in lecture mode.

" It sounds good, but aren't there too many people? I mean, twenty or so people moving together are a bit too easy to see, don't you agree?". The pair had by now almost reached the gates of Konoha again, this time heading for the training grounds.

Sakura turned to look at her teammate, clearly surprised the blond would ask such an intelligent question just moments after the concept was explained to him. The Uzumaki figured out her thoughts and smiled as he answered.

" My appearance isn't the only thing that changed over the years you know...". She blushed at the shame she felt before responding.

" You always managed to exceed the expectations everyone had of you... Even back then, against Sasuke...", her emerald eyes dimmed for a bit. Naruto understood yet again what she meant. He tried to move place his arm on her shoulder, to reassure her, to give her hope.

But he couldn't do any of those things no matter how much he wanted to.

_' I wish I could tell her that everything will be fine; That Sasuke will come back to us safely... But I finally understand now; The next time Sasuke and I fight, one of us will probably...'_

" The teams can work in pairs in missions that require more discretion...", Sakura began, mainly in an effort to change the subject, " Also, our members have specialized in neutralizing enemies that are stronger than them as individuals, Teams 8 and 10 together even managed to stop Tsunade-sama a few times... I don't know if she was being serious though...". Naruto was shocked beyond words at that; Tsunade was Konoha's Hokage, the fact that even she had been restrained was a feat regardless of the fact that she may have held back a bit.

" I never thought that you'd get so strong... I better watch it then; I wouldn't want to end up like Baachan!", he confidently stated as he put up one of his hands in excitement.

" Call her Tsunade-sama, Naruto! You're too old to be rude now!... And speaking of her, she should be around here somewhere...", the pink haired woman said as she turned her head to all directions, searching for a sign of her master. Naruto's mind was troubled by another little detail that he was eager to voice.

" Is Team 7 in an ITT cell? You already said Teams 8 and 10 are together, so you are with them?"

" Yes, Teams 7,8,10 and Team Guy form one ITT cell; It was assumed that if the members had already spent some time together, it would be beneficial for the teamwork.", she absent-mindedly answered, still looking around for the ground's clearing. The blond released a breath he had not realised he had been holding.

" Good, I'm glad that you weren't alone inside the village all this time... More than five years with no missions tend to dull a shinobi's skills!"

"You're one to talk, mister Civilian!", she said in a playful tone, only receive a passionate reply from her teammate.

" Hey, that one was a hit under the belt!", he pretended to pout a bit, but was utterly unsuccessful.

" Whoever the Hell is talking...hic... SHUT UP! I'll have you ...hic...Suspended if you don't!"

Naruto couldn't stifle his laughter at the statement, while Sakura paled in fear. After a few moments, the Uzumaki removed a tear that was formed in his eyes, his attention on his teammate.

" Tsunade-baachan is drunk again... I bet she told you she was going to train here right? I'm surprised she even decided to show up at all!". Sakura did not answer, opting to get near her master to use one of her medical jutsus to remove the excess alcohol in her system. Moments later, the older woman began to sober up, slowly touching her head and looking around a bit; She immediately focused on a wide smiling face in front of her, so she proceeded to close and reopen her eyes in an effort to assure what she was seeing was not a drunken vision.

" I'm back Tsunade-baachan!"

" Naruto...", she slowly stood up with both their help, only to see that the blond was just as tall as her." You've grown, gaki..."

" You have gotten older too, Baachan! I noticed you got your face on the Monument...Don't you think you should have them make a realistic face? I mean, the other Hokages' faces were showing how they looked when they led the village, not how they were twenty years ago...". A vein popped on her temple as the hand she had over Naruto's shoulders for support tightened around his neck.

"...But you're still as annoying as ever! You really should act like your age..." Cold sweat formed on her face as she realised what this meant.

'_ He's just like Jiraiya! I bet he even has one of __**Them**__ is his pouch!'_

She hastily reached his pouch and in a quick motion removed the object in question. She gazed at what she had caught and read the title with barely concealed disgust.

" Icha Icha Tactics: Deluxe Extended Edition & A Virgin's Plight Double Pack..." Tsunade glanced at the lower end of the cover. " … Double the length, double the fun.... He really has become senile these last years...He apparently doesn't even understand what that means..." the blond woman turned to the man next to her. " And you read this trash! I thought you knew better than that!", she started berating him, while Sakura's glance promised years of unimaginable pain.

" I don't read this stuff!...It's just something I brought for Kakashi-sensei!", he immediately tried to reason with them, his hands moving around in a pleading manner.

They both visibly calmed at the explanation, so Naruto allowed himself to lower his guard for a moment, glad that ordeal was over with.

" So..That means the pervert is inside the village 'researching' freely... I'll deal with him...", she began her walk back to her office, leaving the pair in the grounds.

" And Sakura.... We are running low on the chakra-enhancing medicine... Take care of it..."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!", came the obedient reply from the girl.

" Chakra-enhancing medicine?" Sakura simply nodded.

" Yes, Tsunade-sama managed to convince the Akimichi to share the secrets of their special chakra pills and the Naras to do the same with their medicinal techniques. After some years of research, we managed to change the burst of chakra that the original pills contained to a steady increase of the chakra capacity instead; Of course, there was unexpected development that, while good, it has its drawbacks..." At the puzzled look Naruto gave her , she continued." I'll show you; They shouldn't be far from here."

A few minutes later, they had almost reached their destination and Naruto could hear some battle shouts, although they were way too faint for him to understand the words or who the person that spoke them was.

" You see, the medicine slowly widens the chakra pathways, allowing more chakra to flow at once, in addition to letting the various organs produce more chakra..." She grabbed his hand and stopped him, before pointing at a nearby clearing. The Uzumaki's eyes widened at what he saw and heard.

" **Seishun Katon: Sei Gokakyu no Jutsu!"** (Youth Fire Style: Youthful Great Fireball Technique!)

He watched as two green jumpsuit wearing men with bobbed hair and thick eyebrows performed the exact same hand motions before bringing one hand near their lips and blowing a stream of vibrant red flames all over the grounds; Everything around them had a black colour, much like a charcoal.

"..."

" … I agree with you Naruto...Tsunade-sama has forbidden him from training alone since he accidentally burned Training Ground 6 completely... He is also more energetic than ever; It's no surprise if you consider the fact that chakra is essentially life energy... And his own reserves have increased to about a low Chuunin level, which is around fifty times the amount he had when you left..."

" Yosh, Guy-sensei, if I can't perform another thousand fireball jutsus, I'll do one hundred **Seishun Katon: Sei Karyu Endan no Jutsu**( Youth Fire Style: Youthful Fire Flame Projectiles) while doing two thousand squats!"

" Yosh my youthful student, if you do that, then I will do two thousand fireball jutsus and if I can't, I will do five hundred laps around Konoha using only my hands, while I sustain the fireball the entire time!"

The two members of Team watched as both Lee and his Sensei proceeded to form yet more hand seals and breathing out more fire.

" I guess fire suits Lee, with all those flames of youth that burn brightly, huh?"

"Yeah... Naruto, Tsunade-sama told me you trained with another Sensei besides Jiraiya-sama; Where is he? "

The blond's expression hardened a bit before he answered. " We went our separate ways once we got here; He told us he wanted to see someone here in Konoha... And that he'd meet with me soon after..."

o---o

o---o

o---o

-MEANWHILE-

The echoes coming from a wooden clutch banging against the also wooden floor was the only thing audible inside the dark tube-like structure Jin was now in; Standing on top of a wide wooden bridge that formed a crossroad together with another one, he patiently waited for the person he had been waiting for since he entered Konoha. His wait was not in vain, as he heard a voice he immediately recognised.

" So you have decided to show your face here again..."

" I just wanted to inform you of a certain situation father, or rather Danzo-san..."

The bandage-covered man did not respond and instead waited for Jin to continue.

" I intend to live in Konoha for a while..."

" Do as you like, I couldn't care less; My son is dead, he has been dead for twenty years now."

Jin briefly looked down before he turned away to leave. " So you still intend to go through with your plan after all this time...'

" I will become Hokage; I will do it for the village, because that is the only way the Leaf will be safe and powerful..." were the older man's only words.

Jin only gave him a bitter smile." When the time comes, I will do something for the village too then... I hope that you'll forgive me...Again"

o---o

o---o

**Author's Notes**

Thanks for reading Chapter 11 of NAToD ( Naruto: A Tale of Determination). To be honest, I am a bit unsatisfied with the way this chapter turned out, since I kind of had to force it out so that the story could move forward.

It is a bit on the humorous side, and the next one will be a bit too, but remember, the weather is most calm right before the storm!

Any thoughts on the chapter are welcome. Also, those that did not have the chance to review the last chapter because of the changes made in the chapters' structure are welcome to do so in this one's review.

Tell me if you like the changes I've made with the whole ITT cell concept and the chakra-enhancing treatment too!


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